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.
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- x0 w7 x: K" B+ {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.3 s1 p3 o- ^# C& T; y
" p; D4 L' T1 ?( h4 W" XYou 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( {, q% f, P0 l" A
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.3 C$ T- n* A6 F+ N) M
# l; @2 s# f$ c9 ]4 R8 hIts 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.' K% c; x7 O& |6 H, r% s
' j2 C% B, a3 cThe 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.* Q" o" ]3 I: z5 N, A; s9 p
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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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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.( z9 H- E) ]8 t( Q" a5 O5 G
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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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8 i- s4 l" R+ O" @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.& n6 W' Y) T- m( P. {) C
7 A$ t# K- X( J+ u& VThe 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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# t. I1 L! C+ C U" WThe 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 o# |5 q- P+ C/ t3 Y7 F
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