VITRA workspace opens as dedicated office furniture showroom

VITRA workspace opens as a dedicated office furniture showroom
all images courtesy of VITRA

located at the company’s campus in southwestern germany, the VITRA workspace houses a comprehensive overview of the furniture company’s designs for both offices and public space. devised as a planning and learning tool for these environments, the space occupies the second floor of frank gehry’s factory building, originally completed in 1989. the workspace has been conceived as a nexus that connects intellectual ideas about design with practical office solutions, bringing together the informality of the home with the organizational demands of the office.

the showroom houses a comprehensive overview of the furniture company’s designs

the newly renovated space opens up what was once a heavily partitioned floor into an expansive area, where product categories are framed within desired sightlines. each grouping— new releases, office systems, meet & retreat, office seating, standards, and belux lighting— is explored in a specific installation that encourages consideration within the contemporary context. the workspace also features a dedicated workshop, separate material and reference libraries, and a café which can host a variety of meetings.

the workspace is a nexus that connects intellectual ideas about design with practical office solutions

in addition to content pertaining to specific products, the workspace is also home to four installations, which seek to represent VITRA’s core values, ground the space in office history, establish a connection with quality manufacturing, and present the company’s products in specific architectural contexts.

in developing the scheme, VITRA collaborated with the london-based architecture studio of pernilla ohrstedt, and the los angeles office of designer jonathan olivares. together, the designers defined the spatial choreography for the workspace, sales and work areas, as well as supporting installations. a layer of information was created for each area with the los angeles-based graphic designer harsh patel.

the newly renovated space opens up what was once a heavily partitioned floor into an expansive area