Laufen Swiss Architecture tour / K' i/ M0 r( v; b5 ?* @1 T 0 T7 _) a0 o7 y9 ?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. % _2 z3 M" K+ p" V" V 2 C% ^; V- Y7 h2 w! \0 M1 H, q[/url] 5 h$ r; [# N) ~: r3 ?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. / Q# y9 [, x  O+ t; x   b) h& |& c3 a4 h. @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. " n1 A# N8 z" c' h( X+ M The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. $ q% Z8 E6 R) c3 y% p# Q/ X4 BIts 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. 3 c* _+ s6 i) w2 h7 {; D& ~" q) IThe 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; N( X/ w& D7 [ The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.   l! ]5 W+ x. _# K- }4 O' m * @2 t' h' Y8 {- f  G: l( nThe 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 t5 u( b/ q3 x! e  H$ w The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. # t) N( g: r0 j3 O4 t. | ' R" ?4 n9 O; o. f  E; M  ?$ x8 ELaufen 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. The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. 0 l4 z- i/ j, D4 I0 e* @9 C 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. 7 w# t+ }5 X8 V1 B! _5 E8 }[Search:DCION + ^2 h0 f* S' s; d/ | 5 K; j& O& T) a. |0 z: S* Q( ?, M* g + q9 ~. f" V% ]3 A3 _& t : I/ u  z; m! L& x1 i0 U2 G+ h* r) `* B

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