Laufen Swiss Architecture tour" ]& q4 x7 W6 c6 `7 r
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+ C7 _+ u4 F& G6 R. ZDezeen 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& d2 q& I+ b* T0 x7 O( Z5 y* u
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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.2 [: q3 R ^4 h% x4 R
/ f8 _8 H7 c3 R; }* E* |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.% \- J% h, }6 Y5 z) J$ P% {
" _( h( j, ?. o# P+ r( B( v2 EThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.) u% o5 d& ^- g0 @9 @3 a* w
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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.# o2 M! }+ m% S6 b$ @- x1 Y7 A
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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.* l5 n8 l! P3 U9 _
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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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. Y( R: r$ y- Q! r+ J2 n" q& s4 LThe 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.+ h) B$ p* P E( y, s! j* ?
/ Z: |0 _- {) w8 fLaufen 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.1 m& I4 a }- _4 M" E% F
$ z9 N8 P$ j5 y t5 A$ EThe 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.) N- X0 I+ i( {7 F
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