Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
2 |! V5 N: ?- d C& A! q g" j0 \3 G" B( J# f: j
7 K+ Z: x% f, g) O. U% ]% b/ i# jDezeen 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 i& E u5 L, s( D
7 v4 O9 j/ w5 J: W[/url]
' r% F* U# {+ S' ^4 X" j- ^" C* [/ }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. E" Q0 p% S5 ?8 P1 V, H
 ~) r9 h( K$ T# J1 `' s. ]8 x' } X
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.
! B, `' A9 H. { M
+ ^* D* Z% R8 n% m1 E0 qThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
/ S! q( I" s6 j9 r# l % A0 j* d5 \( p! 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.
2 D+ x0 B$ Y% _2 |/ Z: N
$ p1 W- C1 ^( PThe 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.
3 E6 z. ~% {1 d% E; P + N s# A, f% X* L9 a" t! @
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.8 F6 R Q% ]- y3 b, E! _5 c1 b7 `
! R0 Y* f3 r9 Q6 K4 O* n7 MThe 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.6 p# K- t5 Q3 l' o, I
 1 R3 U+ {! s# a. x7 p
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
^, w( ?/ L6 j& G% [
7 _3 y* w8 w: Q6 S% Q6 sLaufen 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.. n. S" c$ t0 S. C8 i" H/ A7 e
 + B4 _+ [, W7 ~) i+ q6 R
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
3 `& U+ }3 B: N0 \" G & `! H5 N* q- K2 W# Z+ k7 U7 N
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.
% @( V, T8 M( X f: b7 w L1 d[Search:DCION
4 N; a' v4 N3 N, o
9 t b+ O8 Y0 S2 R) l& _ [& Z* {9 j, o8 h: f
8 F( K7 f$ B4 ^6 w! d6 b! z |
2 U A- U2 h; G
+ s; i0 L# {1 K1 X' y, b2 O- l% N |
我喜欢的