The Fall of the Vitra Fence.

Back in March 2011 we bemoaned the position of the fence surrounding the Vitra production facility in Weil am Rhein, and for all the disruption to the view across the Vitra Campus.

Before the construction of the VitraHaus the fence offended no one, but since….

“Mr Fehlbaum, tear down this wall! Or at least move it a little bit. Please.”, we cried. Paraphrasing the lonesome cowboy.

And much like Mikhail Gorbachev needed two and half years to respond to Ronald Reagan, so too will it take some 30 months before our challenge has been answered in the positive.

However by November 2013 visitors to the VitraHaus and Vitra Design Museum will be able to move much freer and more independently around the Vitra Campus.

A wonderful, wonderful development.

Or almost. For unlike the fall of the Berlin Wall the fall of the Vitra Fence is only a partial fall.

In the coming months the progression of the fence will be altered from its current course on the edge of the car park and instead will make a sharp left at the Buckminster Fuller Dome and then lead on to Alvaro Siza’s production hall.

To complement the new fence Alvaro Siza has devised a new path that follows the line of the fence before taking visitors beyond his production hall and on to Zaha Hadid’s Fire Station.

The redesign is then completed by a new “meadow” in front of the VitraHaus with seating. And more cherry trees.

The architecture remains however behind the fence and so the view of the Buckminster Fuller Dome, Jean Prouvé petrol station et all remains through the fence.

That said, visitors will not only have the opportunity to view the works from differing perspectives but also the extra public space around the VitraHaus should have the positive effect of making the whole areal appear less claustrophobic and crammed than is currently the case.

We still see no reason not to place the fence next to the road, so between the Frank Gehry production hall and Jean Prouvé petrol station, thus making all objects freely accessible.

Yes that may mean that fewer visitors pay for the architecture tour, but we believe the majority would still choose to view the objects in the company of a guide. They are after all there to learn and experience.

And so excellent and welcome as the start is, we do have David Hasselhoff waiting in the wings … and he really, really likes the idea of appearing at the “Campus Summernights” concert season!

The Vitra Campus, featuring the new fence position and new path.