Laufen Swiss Architecture tour4 g8 a( Y5 E" A% U
5 K2 ^# X: V% x. n- p 6 s/ T T- h6 t& L6 F* J
Dezeen promotion: last week, Dezeen attended an architectural tour of Basel and Zurich organised by Swiss bathroom brand Laufen that included a trip to their concrete showroom designed by Nissen Wentzlaff Architects.
8 Y `$ h4 S+ w S/ P+ _& k
: w& t- K ^2 F1 k+ u[/url]& z/ P* A+ D$ A+ e" ?* g0 O5 x1 ^
The tour featured viewings of buildings by established Swiss architects including [url=http://www.herzogdemeuron.com/]Herzog & de Meuron and new projects by upcoming practices such as EM2N, Stump & Schibili and Buchner Bründler.
2 P8 G$ H/ Y/ I# g) r " c! Y8 B- _. v
You can see photos on our Facebook page from Basel and Zurich and a podcast featuring interviews with many of the architects will appear on Dezeen soon.
8 \' W4 z9 ~ _; t ; q. U( O6 d; }* w _6 Y6 c( m
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
4 {' }: y, B+ t
( W( g. }; a" ^! L6 |Its curved exterior form was inspired by one of Laufen’s most popular product ranges and was cast from concrete in a similar way to the production of ceramics.9 \5 E5 M4 y7 Q$ B
2 {) T7 Q; A6 e" K7 LThe interior of the Forum is designed to encourage a flow of movement, guiding visitors through the display of products before returning them to the entrance via a sweeping staircase.6 }" k _' [) u, P5 @9 |: U& p% o
4 Z! b a2 S# o& y) w9 ~+ V9 sThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.5 \1 T, A5 P" K2 M% e
+ t3 m x4 L) R3 Q3 @0 |* z& VThe tour also included a visit to the production facility on the same site as the Forum and headquarters, where the company has been producing wash basins, bidets and toilets for almost 120 years.2 O* a& `+ b1 i1 l; l$ F( q
/ F* W {) n6 v; hThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
! [( S) {. e7 B2 m2 c! c; ^ " f3 y$ t1 R& U. J& t
Laufen collaborates with many leading designers on its product ranges including IlBagnoAlessi One (above), designed by Stefano Giavannoni, which features a wave-like form washing over the shelving unit.
2 X$ a6 ~) b5 N9 M
. O& K" s$ I6 ^# NThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.1 D8 ^8 g" a2 q6 m6 ]
 & P" r+ w4 J5 S M# ?9 U
The Palomba Collection (above) by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba has recently been expanded to include a double-basin version featuring asymmetric ‘fingerprints’ sunk into a 1600mm flat surface.
6 \/ X6 ]+ G4 W9 g0 |[Search:DCION
8 e9 N& o9 Y8 e: @. I1 U
8 X7 m6 o8 G0 a: n* ~
0 t1 Z2 A8 r @$ O4 i0 Y8 f; t9 [- k! |
|
2 ^5 I9 |- c, k& C6 ~7 q
8 p5 \. F7 n6 e' g |
我喜欢的