Leica is a household name for professional and passionate photographers all over the world. The past, present and future of camera technology can be experienced in the Leica Museum in Wetzlar, designed by Gruber + Kleine Architekten. A central square was designed as a campus for visitors and employees. Frankfurt-based landscape architects Wewer Landschaftsarchitektur are responsible for the design of the square, which was inspired by camera lenses. Circles are the primary design form. In this way, the landscape architects refer above all to the most recently erected building, the Leica Experience World, but also manage to assign all the buildings to the central square. This in turn connects the visitor and employee parking spaces without emphasizing them in the overall picture.

Visitors, guests and employees should feel comfortable here and so the museum and company building stand side by side on an equal footing. In between are open spaces that can be used for photo exhibitions, invite visitors to linger or simply stroll through. Varying in height and extension, the circular shapes mimic the camera zoom, seeming to play with this motif. Designed as inlay work with green lamp cleaner grass and light gray Portuguese granite, the surfaces lie next to each other, leading the high-quality materials of the interior spaces into the outdoor area. Seating groups with wide wooden and steel furniture invite you to relax under the light crowns of the robinia trees. "We chose robinia trees because their unconventional growth creates a lively contrast to the clear geometry of the square. They provide light shade and at the same time allow a view of the architecture," says landscape architect Anja Wewer, describing the design of the inviting yet transparent square. The sound of the water fountains mingles with the rustling of the leaves and the grasses swaying in the wind. From 40 nozzles arranged in concentric circles at ground level, narrow fountains jump up to 5 m in different choreographies. At night, the scenery is adequately lit by illuminated columns. Ground spotlights also set accents, bathing selected groups of trees, exhibition areas and the façade in atmospheric light. A staging that will delight photo enthusiasts by day and night.

www.wewer-la.de

Photos:

Stefan Müller
www.stefanjosefmueller.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 03|20)