Laufen Swiss Architecture tour& W. k3 `: i/ L( F! k1 n
9 N8 o6 P) H; S; F; W
 - \) }3 t: t6 ~) X2 M" x6 _
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.
/ A# T% s) m" A6 ^& c% T
0 m R) I9 L( c[/url]
& J3 n9 G' Q) C& v& c; T qThe 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.
& I0 g3 `% i% E 4 K7 B+ s5 V# ]0 c6 ]; u5 G
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.
3 R0 w1 Q1 \7 d: J6 s# G
4 X) @$ |* j( Z( x0 KThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.0 m6 j6 ]0 G% N: l( r2 `5 I
 Q: x" g3 O) y2 i% p0 r
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.
8 x! [1 X; t7 r6 h
6 \( J! s4 z# ~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.# i+ \ ~; M5 [1 y# K6 D
; P1 o$ I4 M4 ?- }# b8 B' l4 JThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.. ^( f4 x `! @6 b4 j
 5 Q0 h& q! t8 R% ^2 q9 r
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.: [$ c1 O( V5 m
 1 n$ L; q7 r" c7 |0 n
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
; R- d8 t" I" U. t0 S% i( _3 s
" E4 f) q8 H4 N$ X qLaufen 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.
d3 T* }% d3 [, [5 N% r
9 V' Y# o( ]. a- E0 eThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
! I7 q: p3 i* l ! f: w( X+ |* `* A1 @+ b
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., n1 ~6 [8 u+ u! N
[Search:DCION
/ T2 {2 y i# x- b6 U
2 o4 u: ~/ z0 ?' C; h$ T( B ]: {; H' O8 O9 w% C' a+ _8 l
8 N8 n- B+ A8 r+ E E) Q* l |
. X; T* D3 j- r- D( q. m
4 `9 f) J" K# Q1 T- P) M, h |
我喜欢的