Laufen Swiss Architecture tour7 Y$ _0 v0 Z' v2 J0 o6 ~" _7 h
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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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! g1 J& s8 M- [' e7 g1 @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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9 }6 _0 t( `/ MYou 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.& N$ X! ]# T/ ^' }% ]0 ~/ x2 w
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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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1 T3 F% ?( R6 b: c! |- ~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.# h/ q" u8 d. ?+ Z. u8 \7 P
3 p; h* ^! I& X- [4 A% |& jThe 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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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.0 H I$ A8 | i% k' H8 B5 r# V; \
! P3 y! \3 ?- Z5 ]2 eThe 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. N: ^6 e" v2 {+ U
" x) w9 x& y: {+ E1 ULaufen 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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The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.: m. i. ]5 i# R9 F. ?) T' h" t% a
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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.
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