Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
3 g! v. A( v- U% z1 G( O, c; P' x! ^( ~2 o
 ( n; f/ G: Z' B, ~$ _' G
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.
4 v7 T& g& V8 t2 b# H; q; j( R. ]. g1 a$ D
[/url]6 O8 }' Y) d# d: F% I4 M; @
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.* q2 \- ]% V+ Q* z
 0 ?& ?+ X& x8 T$ T" r8 H+ O
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.5 E: W' H2 Q0 q2 X# r" P0 \
 4 k* z! X; l6 ?$ h8 K% x& E$ m+ r
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.: `& a: m5 W5 g0 v Q. {4 K
 5 @0 g7 N% z5 b* a; g" P' ^
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.
, C9 ]+ D. m6 G- | % I Q4 [+ t& L4 }
The 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.
9 D5 L* t7 u; E* c- d6 r 2 t5 d1 }# r k. d& E5 t( f0 R
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.3 D. h: S+ R" F* ^
 ) o* O, `( y: f3 c
The 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.
! ^3 E @/ n$ c% t# [; b; {
5 G6 M: U( t0 j, NThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
* J+ {% @* O1 q7 ?2 q+ y
) p3 V. b. A3 d$ OLaufen 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.
1 ?) T, s0 ~+ k* w* V* g/ \ : A$ c6 g) f/ M
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
" I5 L, Y! u* x( e- R1 H- h 9 N0 l: K$ K8 j* c' a. W
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.
2 W) E3 R& G4 V7 E[Search:DCION
3 w: T' ^% o# t8 x, A 0 l; s& B/ R# R7 G
' t3 y9 B$ S) S8 ~$ Q/ |. q0 i
# M& W6 n& Z8 z0 k! p: V, J |
7 V! j4 [9 h# Q. f3 E2 R; G
# g( y0 x. `! Z+ F$ I O- {- _ |
我喜欢的