Part of:

People:

Alvaro Siza (archive creator)
Alvaro Siza (architect)

Title:

Vitra International [Vitra International factory], Weil am Rhein, Germany (1991-1994)

Date:

1991-2012

Level of archival description:
Project

Extent and medium:

Approximately 807 drawings (including 554 reprographic copies)
792 photographic materials
1 model
0.23 linear metres of textual records

Scope and content:
This project series documents the Vitra International project in Weil am Rhein, Germany. While the records were held in the office’s archives this project was assigned the number 18/90. The office assigned the dates 1991-1994 to this project.

The building included a factory, offices, and loading docks. The brick was chosen as a reference to the production hall that burned down in 1981 on the project site. The curved bridge roof that connected Siza's building to Nicholas Grimshaw's building was conceived to not obstruct the view of Zaha Hadid's Fire Station. Siza also designed a 500 metre promenade that passed by the Vitra building and connected the Fire Station to the VitraHaus designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The project was realized.

Documenting this project are sketches, studies, design development drawings, plans and details. Textual material includes project documentation and correspondence. Photographic materials document the project site, models, construction work and the built project. There is also a study model for this project.

Reference number:

AP178.S1.1991.PR01

Arrangement:
Materials in this project series were compiled from multiple accessions. Materials within each accession were arranged by Álvaro Siza’s office and have been kept in this order.

Location:

Weil am Rhein Germany

Credit line:
When citing the collection as a whole, use the citation: Álvaro Siza fonds, Collection Centre Canadien d’Architecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal. When citing specific collection material, please refer to the object’s specific credit line.

Language of material:

German
Portuguese
English

Related units of description:

Sketches for the Vitra International are also included in Siza's sketchbooks found in Series AP178.S2 of this fonds. Of note is sketchbook 320. The CCA also holds materials for the Fonte para Vitra International (see project series AP178.S1.1994.PR04 in this fonds).