Laufen Swiss Architecture tour . o& L3 B2 _4 m' ?/ Z8 nDezeen 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. ) z0 Y) f7 p8 M* V) L2 ]" b/ g . @$ x4 u1 q6 Z6 j. n[/url] 2 f% c5 o+ \# s# o4 `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. 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. # Y, n4 V7 B. M. D( z0 ^3 P; `; GThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. $ Z7 K* [) K  k; e: ^2 \. f1 ]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+ O" `5 q% c9 X% `# X$ p7 d 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. . J2 ?- O' e3 I The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. 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. % ]6 }7 q7 [( P9 S4 ^ The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. , A- b3 B8 N7 b0 [) M* PLaufen 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. ' Z2 T+ x# Y  H: dThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. 1 e" z1 o6 y, @1 F+ W6 h8 b7 L 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. [Search:DCION & @$ \1 `1 W1 e. G6 m/ _6 h 4 H1 ], c) X9 e 6 k; d/ |' ^0 u) A; e

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