Earlier this year, Vitra's museum - VitraHaus - opened in Weil am Rhein in Germany.
The building received great acclaim, commending Herzog and de Mueron's stacking that the practice has been exploring in recent projects, and the domestic-scale interiors the pitched roofs create. It has also attracted criticism as an overly simplistic idea.
I feel that the strong, simple interior is true to the architect's vision of creating domestic spaces that first and foremost display Vitra's products. The objects inside are supposed to be the star, and they just happen to sit in a beautiful backdrop.
Whatever your opinion, there is a clear and pure intention that has been executed well.
The same cannot be said to this pile of random blocks. You can see what they were striving at too - but isn't it a shame!
The half-hearted attempt at a stacked apartment complex has balcomies crashing into the sides of each cube and drab cladding. The extruded elements are only once referenced in the building, with no follow-through of the idea on any other facade.
And ok, it's just a bog-standard residential building without the resources or aspirations of Vitra, but if you're going to do it - be true to the idea!
