Vitra design – in pictures

Over the past 30 years, the headquarters of swiss furniture manufacturers Vitra – a huge greenfield site in south-west Germany – has become a showcase for design, with buildings by leading architects including Frank Gehry, Herzog and De Meuron. The Vitra Design Museum (1989), above, was Gehry's first building in Europe. Photograph: Bettina Matthiessen/Vitra Design Museum

A major fire destroyed a large part of the Vitra campus in 1981, which led to a commission for Zaha Hadid's Fire Station, built in 1993. Today the building is used for exhibitions. Photograph: Thomas Dix/Vitra Design Museum

Vitra, founded by Willi and Erika Felhbaum, began making furniture in the 50s. Some of the company's earliest pieces were by US designers Charles and Ray Eames; above, their Aluminium Chair, 1958. Photograph: Marc Eggimann/Vitra Design Museum

Lobby Chair by Charles and Ray Eames, 1960. Photograph: Hans Hansen/Vitra Design Museum

Danish designer Verner Panton began working with Vitra in the 60s. He developed the first injection-moulded plastic chair, which went into production at Vitra in 1967. Revolutionary when it first appeared, its S-shaped, stackable form made it a design classic. Photograph: Hans Hansen/Vitra Design Museum

Panton's Cone Chair, 1958, and C1 Chair, 1959. Photograph: Marc Eggimann/Thomas Dix/Vitra Design Museum

Marshmallow Sofa, 1956, by US designer George Nelson – one of the earliest Pop Art furniture designs. Photograph: Herman Miller Furniture Company/Vitra Design Museum

The Design Museum celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Alongside its 10,000 regular exhibits, the museum stages temporary installations. A retrospective of the work of German designer Grcic, entitled Panorama, runs until mid-September 2014. Above, a computer rendering of Grcic's installation 'Life space'. Photograph: Panorama KGID/Konstantin Grcic