Laufen Swiss Architecture tour 1 X6 y+ g. e& \* T1 Y- I ' T) N( R- ?( eDezeen 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. [/url] $ D/ A9 _" D1 f8 AThe 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. 0 t: n: ~( l, l, `" W" }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. The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. + B" C7 `7 `) z; j( x& }6 ZIts 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. 0 @! R' M8 y( M& J: z2 Z1 I 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. $ ~  Z% u4 D' g" H0 W" W6 I % D2 D2 t' B# c  [( k' c) j4 IThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. , Q. Y4 O  o% l8 ^1 z% g 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. % S. m4 G+ x" ?) X: m$ U The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. 7 ~) [3 O# x$ a" K3 ILaufen 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. : K- T8 l, C4 f+ {7 a2 \% LThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. & S; C# {8 y  a# q" f" s" l0 V 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 S5 ^: N. `1 G+ E% m1 P( D8 @+ z[Search:DCION % B. `7 P! p4 o" C, K, ^6 F 3 @8 `8 l) s. e! |" g  h5 y' _1 v 7 s. I# V  C5 V4 V+ T

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