Vitra Fire Station by Zaha Hadid
Baden-Württemberg, Germany • Entertainment
When an architect's ideals are realized through design, there's a perfect match, but the bewilderment when there's a gap between ideals and reality is profound... Among the buildings that struggled with the gap between ideals and reality is the Vitra Fire Station. The first building by Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-British architect known as a 'Paper Architect', which was made for the Vitra complex severely damaged by fire. However, the firefighters working inside suffered from headaches and vomiting, and with a new, large fire station nearby, the building lost its function as a fire station and became a furniture exhibition and is now used for conferences and workshops. I felt a sense of solidarity with the unnamed firefighters who complained of nausea from the uncomfortable concrete structures with sharp acute angles. Over time, visiting Vitra for the second time, Hadid's fire station was still uncomfortable. However, thinking of it as her first work, who suddenly became a star in the sky three months prior, I viewed the fire station with a less sharp heart and went inside. On my first visit, I was too panicked to notice, but this time I saw the landscape I had missed. The most important thing for Hadid in a fire station would have been to launch the fire trucks as soon as possible. And that intention is seen in every line pointing towards the exit for the fire trucks, leading to many lines placed at angles rather than standing straight. The reasons that made me and the firefighters uncomfortable were these slanted lines. Still, having seen it once, I was less bewildered and dizzy than the first time. Upon finishing the tour, I still found the building uncomfortable but not dislikeable. It was a happening created because of a functional building sticking to its function. The first-visit me knew nothing. (Not that I know much more now...) If I were to visit Hadid's Vitra Fire Station again, how would I view this building, and what thoughts would I have inside it? As I walked out with these questions, the sight of a chair with slanted lines outside made me shout, 'Sister Hadid wins'. I look forward to the third meeting at this place with a consistent tone.
