Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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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.9 R& P/ b. o/ y+ s, ^
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K, G) p2 g6 K. @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.9 J) Q3 M. T- c# b' A8 M
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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.
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+ J" L7 W( E' D! ?4 |5 k3 Z! b- TThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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8 q9 x2 L0 M( Y: ^% j% CIts 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.
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/ r+ g ?9 a F1 F- h _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.
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. M0 k1 w0 J6 S2 B( e: s+ DThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.* d" M& p* t, _. H' \
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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.( p& Q7 [9 O8 K1 M' m2 N8 `. s
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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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./ Z' ~% d+ V( `8 e. f8 m
4 z1 o# }! }4 OThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
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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.8 S) j/ \. j6 Y& @9 w' l
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