SANAA completes vitra factory building

‘vitra factory building’ by SANAA, weil am rhein, germany image © SANAAall images courtesy of vitra

recent pritzker laureates kazuyo sejima and ryue nishizawa of japanese practice SANAA have recently put the finishing touches on their factoryin the vitra campus originally built in 2010 and marking their first industrial project that serves as a presentation venue, production area and storagefacility for the vitrahaus collection. the elliptical shape of the production hall is ideal to maximize peripheral surface area which is favorable for truck docking, while at the same time creating a central structure whose open floor plan is capable of hosting events with larger space requirements or various functions simultaneously without encroaching upon each other. the architects have now just completed the characteristic folded acrylic white facade that completes a continuous solid appearance along the exterior measuring 11 meters high. the panels were first cast in flat sheets thenreheated and vacuum molded in a specially constructed oven to obtain the undulated texture. as very few windows are placed along the envelope of the metal frame structure, a series of internal skylights maintain adequate light levels inside.

a regular steel gridded structure creating bays of 17.5 meters wide by 22.8 meters long by 9.5 meters high, the interior enjoys large open spaces thatcan be subdivided as needed at any time. a long central wall that runs along the longitudinal diameter, 160 meters, that helps order the various componentsand fixtures and helps to give a sense of orientation. the interior is divided into three loosely defined flexible zones: the northern side contains parallel rack storage for finished and semi-finished material, the central zone is aptly used for assemblies, and the southern area is reserved for the storage of finished goods ready to be shipped. the form of the building allows trucks to access any area of the interior program easily and efficiently, allowing the majority of the circulation to occur around the exterior and minimizing the movement of people and goods in the interior which is ideal for productivity.

entrance for smaller vehiclesimage © SANAA

white facade with truck docking stationsimage © vitra

entrance for smaller vehiclesimage © SANAA

entrance for smaller vehiclesimage © SANAA

entrance for smaller vehiclesimage © vitra

entrance for smaller vehiclesimage © SANAA

interior storage spaceimage © SANAA

architects kazuyo sejima and ryue nishizawaimage © vitra

model of facade showing sense of scaleimage © SANAA