Laufen Swiss Architecture tour / y" W. n2 L! K4 r; j ; Q' L8 q" D) U9 R+ x8 ?; e. l + i, {2 H7 q( WDezeen 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. + G8 t4 x. P! x/ D; Z/ ?! n, ` + k7 ~" K+ X. ?[/url] * k. s* X6 s  b8 q8 ]" }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. 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. The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. % k+ U" H* M4 s2 F! B 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. 4 j9 Q1 O3 c7 J. j  M  r 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. . f' t+ R% N/ J# N) {% X3 CThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. 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. 4 F6 ]6 g9 f; B/ M! z7 H" Q, [0 Z2 XThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. ; P2 C' u: \, U& ]; D2 k , f3 i5 I( ^3 C7 q% T: uLaufen 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. * o7 c, B& N8 w- _: i  j1 QThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. 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. $ V/ ?9 f/ T( o1 f; Y[Search:DCION 6 W7 k. |% |$ x2 M  H; B0 C5 A 6 _: O. X/ A2 N5 c - `2 I5 M3 G/ z+ u* N3 N1 X

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