Factory Building

Nicholas Grimshaw, 1981

In 1981, Nicholas Grimshaw's first construction on the Vitra Campus was seen as a homage to its own industrial usage and to Vitra’s technical expertise. Relying on prefabricated elements, planning to start-up of the production space was completed six months after the great fire as covered by insurance funds. Clad with horizontally striated façade elements made of corrugated aluminium sheeting, the building houses the production areas along with two showrooms.

The second factory by Grimshaw from 1983 contains production facilities as well as the Citizen Office. This office environment was created by Sevil Peach in 2010. The founder of the London design studio Sevil Peach Gence Associates, SPGA, has worked with Vitra for over ten years and has designed office environments for and with Vitra as well as for leading international companies.

About the architect

Nicholas Grimshaw, born in London, England in 1939. Studied architecture at the College of Art School of Architecture and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in Edinburgh. In 1967, he became a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and from 1972-73 he was Professor in the Architecture Faculty at the University of London’s Bartlett School. From 1978-79, Nicholas Grimshaw held a Guest Chair in Architecture at Cambridge University. In 1994, he became Deputy Chairman of the Architectural Association, a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Academy. In 2004 he was elected President of the Royal Academy.

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