Vitra & Camper

As a result of the joint venture between Vitra and Camper, the pop-up project designed by Diébédo Francis Kéré at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein enable the project partners to explore experimental ideas for new retail concepts.

Vitra and Camper jointly launched a pop-up project for three months in the Dome on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein.

The Burkina Faso-born, Berlin-trained architect Diébédo Francis Kéré was commissioned to design the space. He has attracted considerable international attention in recent years with numerous innovative building projects – one of which is featured in the “Making Africa” exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum. The Vitra & Camper popup project gives visitors to the Vitra Campus a chance to experience a real-life example of Kéré’s work.

Diébédo Francis Kéré, Vitra & Camper pop-up project, Weil am Rhein

For the pop-up project, Kéré Architects developed a ‘room within a room’ – two nested wall structures with an ovoid footprint. The inner wall defines a central space, which remains open at the top. This is encircled by a ring-like covered walkway bordered by the outer wall. Multiple passageways connect the two spatial zones with one another and also act as a link between Kéré’s temporary installation and the surrounding interior of the Fuller Dome.

The central element of the retail architecture is a self-supporting, shelf-like wall construction, which was realised by the Vitra company Vizona using blockboard. The structure provides a surface area for multimedia brand messages as well as the presentation of merchandise. At the same time, it serves as storage space and allows the integration of a welcome desk and seating. The continuous horizontal shelving traces the organically shaped contours of the floor plan. The zig-zag configuration of the vertical panels, in turn, determines the shape of the individual compartments and makes it possible to utilise both sides of the shelving wall. Narrow gaps between the vertical elements give the construction a certain lightness and create a visual connection between the spatial zones. In addition, these panels provide surfaces for digital displays, photographic prints, graphics and texts as well as colour fields, enhancing the atmosphere of the space and defining the various zones.

Kéré is known for his use of natural and sustainable materials. Along with the wood wall construction, the floor in the central part of the installation is covered with mats woven out of seagrass, or ‘esparto’ as they are called in Mallorca. With such elements, he makes reference to Camper’s ecological approach, but also to his own architectural works in Africa, which incorporate traditional and local building materials.

The Vitra & Camper pop-up project also marks the debut of Mono 6 P/L, a new system for in-store communication with integrated power connections developed by Visplay, which is likewise part of the Vitra Group. This system elegantly and invisibly bundles the electrical wiring needed for lighting and digital signage as well as a high-speed communications network directly within the product display infrastructure. Mono 6 P/L is currently being used in the Camper pop-up project as a prototype. In autumn 2015, Mono 6 P/L will become available as a standard system.

The pop-up project is a forum where stories can be told. First and foremost, the Ethical Fashion Initiative: a United Nations programme that promotes the work of artisans in countries such as Ethiopia and Haiti by facilitating collaboration with renowned designers and brands such as Camper.

For the partners Vitra and Camper, the temporary pop-up project also provides a platform for experimenting with new retail concepts, which aim to make shopping a true experience and strengthen the relationship between the brand and its customers.

For example, visitors to the Dome are able to access digital information about the specific models along with background details on their design.