Laufen Swiss Architecture tour& s* t' z5 l4 t _4 f Z8 {
6 h! p# x9 o6 S' {
" Q- ~. ?2 t# u) a- YDezeen 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 Z# L" ~: r) ]/ b
) s' \/ P9 |5 P0 @& Y; c+ k7 i2 U[/url]
' O( Q5 l' Q u9 uThe 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.7 I. W' `4 x; }% L4 u
 4 ]5 l' W: }, a! Q, L7 R/ M# ^7 c' X# o
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.
( L: s- G- u* Z* ] 9 ~4 O* _5 o% |
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
8 D& B4 n( s' e! v% t , F1 n0 W' v" g. T. J
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.2 x; d5 p: }- O/ N8 r `9 t
1 }' q% e {3 ]( OThe 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.8 V f8 I& a! p; A& p0 L0 X7 `$ W
 # O, n4 Z, |0 W/ j# A; A7 a% C
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
, B/ g' O* {, j ' [9 c2 E3 M9 C5 j0 B: f
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.7 |1 d) G2 f2 P; `$ z' R
1 M9 Y* g$ f2 @5 j) GThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.' G* ]( r0 b* k! c0 A. r# g3 o. a
 % i% g! B# k* A# r
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.* x/ B# ]: X3 |8 j b
 : `# f( ^) l! v
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
" I3 U& }0 W. R
3 M f& g0 d 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.5 y0 M" O' L6 n. ^9 }% \$ _1 @
[Search:DCION2 u+ O. l4 ~1 A8 q/ Z! a
 ) ?, ?8 _8 M# a6 b& w3 [% T0 z
@! u) Y! |: s4 l2 Q
, p. J- _( H6 x$ L- C$ |: V |
( s2 e5 K4 a5 A+ P1 u4 b
- `1 X1 N: X; a1 }2 b) e0 u
|
我喜欢的