VITRA FIRE STATION By
VITRA FIRE STATION By the time it was completed in 1993, the fire station had already reached the Olympian pinnacle of architecture. In Weil am Rhein Zaha Hadid was finally able to show that her designs are indeed buildable. With its angular edges, tilted concrete walls and weightless protruding porch roof, the small building anticipates the characteristic features that would be found time and again in Hadid‘s later work: cross-overs, irritations, fascinating space effects and specific materialisations. The building with its garage for the fire engines, recreation rooms, changing rooms and shower facilities consists of a linear arrangement of walls to create the functional spaces in between. Positioned between the huge buildings of the furniture factory, it redefines the space along the main road through the campus and seems to be frozen movement, just waiting to explode into action. It is thus a direct analogy to the fire brigade, trained to be always on emergency alert. However, its career as a fire station did not last long: a few years ago, the company fire brigade was disbanded. Today, the exposed concrete building is used for exhibitions and as an event venue. It naturally also attracts people from all over the world who are passionate about architecture. 36
ANGULAR MOVEMENT VITRA FIRE STATION Architecture Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher Project architect Patrik Schumacher Client Vitra International AG Location Weil am Rhein Construction period 1991–1993 Internet www.vitra.com 37
