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.- R' |2 ^5 k; S4 E4 L2 a8 c
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: A/ u. d1 w) I. Y* _+ ?: FThe 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.
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) y/ j- m* x0 l7 m9 ]- f0 e4 wYou 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.% X8 Z- t+ Y$ N$ u/ z( A0 J$ d" u
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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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.8 B& ~" h# u/ k6 j- U
! s1 }/ q3 w0 q; S P' ZThe 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 m0 w. _4 j- P! o4 i1 e* k
/ c' B1 g! S! b& eThe 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.+ y# e& p% U3 r4 q2 G A1 e1 ^
( d# {- `- J! nThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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, o2 r+ w, B4 H2 N' {' S' P; n8 ZLaufen 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.
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The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.9 x8 Y) A) w, e, I
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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 K, _+ K4 I) {( A/ ?
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