Laufen Swiss Architecture tour9 P$ K! J, i/ K4 P/ e- A
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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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, k# Y2 z9 P7 H# c& V! OThe 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." d# e0 }% j; y
* W5 u" p2 N! _6 w" [6 T6 o" nYou 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.
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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.1 B- ~4 @6 P8 {* z7 _
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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.# E- |% i$ `4 s; S% _. a! x
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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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* c& `& a. g {- C IThe 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 _8 h p- Z8 E6 F9 f& Q
2 V7 E& y: m- \The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.$ Z q8 a7 ~" {' k0 m I
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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.% H w2 `9 N% z
2 H4 ]% E/ c9 mThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.9 z7 d$ g7 a6 p, ~; Z
7 [7 P! w8 h' k9 r9 o7 D% Q, K6 l( YThe 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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