Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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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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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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; N) d7 @: J6 E% a" ?( l$ Y; DYou 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.3 o3 s; o, M1 |' S4 Q, E$ x 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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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.& v+ f7 C0 R* I0 W0 u
8 v0 o- u( T& oThe 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.
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+ q$ M2 C- J! ^The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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2 ~5 L6 G8 L6 b7 g' \8 Q k$ L/ ^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.
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( a; U( y- s _, xThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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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 B$ f2 {2 z' Y9 Z6 L/ i6 b/ ~" z
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The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding./ m! V* p h+ U' N9 T' O- k
3 z% v; _8 M4 A, t+ n8 X; dThe 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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