Laufen Swiss Architecture tour; q9 K, Q( H' p
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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.
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. j, h0 ^' s5 c5 L6 g/ q3 e5 `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.
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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.( R3 Z, K- X% ~. b2 z) v
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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# c, O' h% x0 w) t/ ]+ aIts 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.
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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 {! `. N! @+ x9 K% I: v# D
0 W3 |# C# P n- s/ Z! OThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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% J' `$ m1 j( c2 X. [+ A1 [) D9 nThe 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.
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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5 b' \/ D: n# @2 m3 i! G& _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.
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% `9 H* D6 `. [! I5 e* R, o8 HThe 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 z; ~% v5 a0 k% g
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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.
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