Laufen Swiss Architecture tour2 i0 j% ?; X7 C% h3 j3 j
& _8 U- z+ {) `$ t
4 h& H; ^; Y- }7 P. L2 f9 ]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.5 S3 R/ C7 G$ N. j
( N+ Z' b* R$ p9 {6 o1 I[/url]7 U! O6 ^: z& h* ~' l
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., C1 j9 a4 F5 o: J, h- @
 ; @- K$ w0 }+ M# L$ | n7 p8 p4 H$ E i3 y
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.' d' E% f4 i. P. G8 r( E( r
 6 j7 B: Q, F- n! l+ N( s0 h
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.1 v1 u: S( @+ u6 `5 d1 @+ m
' Z; E: h$ T- \& M! t oIts 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* K: V+ q5 H2 _; I( g
 4 c1 M. Y$ S& D. c) ^2 P
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.
}7 z' s( r8 D" j 2 U* k2 L8 Z# y& q) b" z) T) y
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
) c& o( ?/ K& W8 [ $ y8 C6 L2 F: r& }' C* e6 c# O
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.
" e' L+ E# x& G* W 8 o& A. |# Z% M. L! z1 M
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.$ C8 O! I" x m
 ; @+ ]8 t0 B8 S. O7 C) y' M
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.
, K) e6 J) r f9 a0 g
' S' ?8 q% u9 H+ r3 ?% WThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
0 O# w; x: x+ o1 D" D 2 ~% K7 }: x0 h& D0 i0 ?
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.
& J- Y+ k7 Z2 K# H[Search:DCION2 s) Z( ^/ @1 z6 G* T, ]% Q
 * c0 C" o( j, k+ M# b5 M
S: V9 U3 }* Q1 u- |" o5 W6 o3 t
* j- R9 E6 G9 v+ ? |
- L4 }( w3 w& e+ y. Y+ s+ v" v3 j; ?2 z
|
我喜欢的