How Is LFone Faring?

Landesgartenschau—aka Landscape Formation One (LFone)—is a flower pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid for Weil am Rhein, Germany, the same town that is home to her first built work, Vitra's Fire Station. When LFone was completed in 1999 it looked something like this:


[Photography © Hélène Binet | image source]

In 2007 I posted a photo from Flickr user "thegoatisbad," pointing out that LFone had "seen better days":


Having visited the pavilion a couple weeks ago I can say things have gotten both better and worse for LFone. The approach clearly signals that something is happening:



For the summer (at least) the grounds abutting the building are being used for a festival with food kiosks placed around a central seating area and stage for musical performances.



As can be seen above and below, the building itself appears to be in adequate condition, better than the seen-better-days photo from five years ago. A June 2013 article at Badische Zeitung appears to say (via Google Translate) that: "Two years ago it was believed at the Town Hall and the Garden Festival Society to have problems with the water under control: 770 meters wall tops were sealed with a special process, the concrete impregnated."



The landscaping adjacent to the building is also in good shape, perhaps stemming from the fact the plants are succulents (or appear to be, to my untrained eye):



It also appears that the tagging covering the half-pipe-like slope at one end of the building has given way to serving as a canvas for children's chalk drawings:



So given that the building won't be falling down anytime soon, and the grounds around it (that aren't covered with trucks and the like) are faring well, then the big issue is what exactly is the building doing? Is it merely serving as a backdrop for outdoor festivals? Is it a rental space for parties (some tables and chairs were awkwardly squeezed inside when I was there, but the doors were locked)? Is it a visitor center, a trailhead for the adjacent nature preserve (a small visitor center with an LFone brochure, among others, was stuffed into a small space, also locked)?



It's not really clear what purpose the building is serving these days, and therefore it's up to Weil am Rhein to find something that is appropriate for the building while enabling the town to pay for its continued maintenance. Not surprisingly, it doesn't work as a backdrop for summer festivals. If anything, its landscraper-like design and original function point to something aligned with the appreciation of nature unspoiled by commercial presence.