Laufen Swiss Architecture tour: B, E& X9 g3 ]+ O5 L& ^
- j0 w* S' H# P

; r9 C V9 Q+ w) }* P$ cDezeen 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.+ W! h' D( S) [5 Q
7 b2 a- N; _1 f[/url]% }+ K7 Y$ [ [8 |0 x; U9 q2 z
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.
% c" B% c+ R: C5 j* ~
: Q+ v7 I% b; F) n T/ a6 xYou 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.
$ p1 }$ g" L( {- c5 e9 R- H & U2 C: O) m8 t- J9 T1 L& A9 _
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
( M K2 L9 a b Q& U i- h/ @1 X/ C8 t# F
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.
6 R/ {6 z0 s. m
% T) K, X" K; J5 z+ n/ n1 N, }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.
) O2 t3 A* z5 q7 f# w ! ]! `6 s) }8 Y' w7 A
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
8 m) {+ J( \: c' ` 1 x Y" {1 I- R+ |! b `8 m. }+ {
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.4 i h& D0 n. `$ g6 h

5 p1 q0 B* {7 R- u+ b6 GThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.& f, d9 J) |8 R" Z( W( Q. @
* \2 z2 `3 a$ y0 ^8 F
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.
3 F1 L( p1 V3 O 8 z0 u# I- m( s/ Y* f( j
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.5 ^# x5 i! p% K( \9 p4 ?& k

% s# M# W2 @6 |+ }) Q) S! ^3 TThe 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.
" J: G! q8 ]/ t[Search:DCION
' J2 o% o! t8 Q5 V3 @" d, F ! k- B6 F" V- |2 V
6 F, o# Q m: e: c( t) w \
0 O: y5 E2 p' r0 E- Y; f3 H | ! K% O) r0 l- F/ o7 x- Y
5 S! z% X! Z$ @ |
我喜欢的