Laufen Swiss Architecture tour: M9 r6 e3 i- z$ X
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( z' A: L5 [8 s) [6 YDezeen 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.* ~$ @6 q7 |$ F# {+ @
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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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+ Z' |5 P. Y9 @9 ^. UYou 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.0 ~0 s( _2 d* I' W; u5 b2 T
* l/ Y' |# a7 uThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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h( F! u+ D- r. P2 b. [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.# d+ a$ i8 u+ J0 X- q/ u% a2 z% T, n
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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.4 D! g2 L. w6 @) h/ w9 E- o
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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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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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material., Q o( I, Y& T& L
. Q: p& Z" D2 K+ n* Q& ]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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5 P- A! {: t* w* PThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.3 q" [, f1 Q, V
. F/ n' `1 A2 U3 d" bThe 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.( R8 }; t9 ]$ d3 V+ c2 T
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