Burkinabé architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has created a temporary retail room for shoe brand Camper inside Buckminster Fuller’s dome at the Vitra Campus .
Kéré’s set up, which opens these days at the Swiss furnishings brand’s headquarters, comprises two ring-shaped structures filled with shelves for displaying both data and sneakers.
It was constructed to coincide with the Making Africa exhibition at the close by Vitra Design Museum, in which the architect’s operate is featured, and the Camper: Life on Foot exhibition at London’s Design and style Museum.
“The Vitra and Camper pop-up undertaking provides visitors to the Vitra Campus a chance to knowledge a genuine-existence illustration of Kéré’s perform,” said a statement from Vitra.
Initially from Burkina Faso and now based in Berlin, the architect developed the store and exhibition space inside the geodesic dome made by American Neo-futuristic architect Buckminster Fuller in 1975.
Related story: Carsten Höller builds a tower with a slide at the Vitra campus
The tent-like framework is held up by a triangular grid of aluminium poles, and was extra to Vitra’s campus at Weil am Rhein, Germany, in 2000 to offer a versatile event room.
Accessed by way of a triangle-shaped opening in the materials, the dome is at present hosting Kéré’s two connected oval structures.
The concentric shelving units are constructed from a wood-primarily based materials known as blockboard – produced by Vitra-owned business Vizona – with more substantial surfaces covered in white laminate, even though the wood grain is left exposed along the edges.
“The framework gives a surface spot for multimedia brand messages as effectively as the presentation of merchandise,” stated Vitra. “At the exact same time, it serves as storage area and permits the integration of a welcome desk and seating.”
The wider, reduce ring contains teasers from the two exhibitions, such as samples of Kéré’s work and examples of Camper’s retailers by designers like Kengo Kuma, Nendo and the Bouroullec brothers.
The taller inner construction displays designs from Camper’s Autumn Winter 2015-sixteen assortment in the direction of the bottom, and stacks of the Spanish brand’s signature red shoe boxes close to the top.
“The zigzag configuration of the vertical panels determines the shape of the person compartments and helps make it achievable to utilise the two sides of the shelving wall,” Vitra stated.
Numerous gaps in the structures enable access to the central room, which is open at the leading to let in the light filtered by means of the translucent dome.
In this location, a woven seagrass mat covers the floor and rounded blue stools can be utilized by consumers making an attempt on the footwear. Mirrors on either side of the openings are presented to aid with determination making.
Goods from the United Nation’s Ethical Trend Initiative, promoting the operate of artisans in nations such as Ethiopia and Haiti, are also on demonstrate.
The outer spot is internet hosting live shoe-producing demonstrations to allow guests the opportunity to see cordwainer’s tactics in action. Cork stools and potted plants are also dotted close to the internal area.
The Vitra Campus comprises a group of buildings, pavilions and structures developed by some of the world’s most well-known architects. Along with older projects by Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron and Tadao Ando, latest additions have included a viewing tower with a slide by Carsten Höller and a tiny wooden cabin by Renzo Piano.
The Creating Africa exhibition at the Frank Gehry-created Vitra Design Museum runs until 13 September 2015. Camper: Daily life on Foot is open at the Design Museum in London until finally 1 November 2015.
