Laufen Swiss Architecture tour! {) s& w, U+ r. l
: t* O9 w7 w9 q- F2 p
; t- ?5 H* ~. K/ P9 t7 |0 p; tDezeen 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.9 w# _% l4 a7 c& b
" `2 a& G# u5 F h0 W1 O5 N/ v[/url]9 z( J2 d, b( F7 I
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.+ t9 G; i) k4 j/ G8 ?
+ p/ W! [8 ^' x$ t" g& ^8 ]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.- Z P& j. u B* n# z: f$ F9 H
) d# A' y5 y& _" X1 qThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
' d; b0 m. R9 [* H0 E; @7 c $ C1 x5 |! N4 [$ U
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.
. K8 R! v1 s: A ! e6 j9 s1 R: A! f* e
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.4 k. b! Z' Y: K9 [9 h* H
 & x- ~ z; Z3 i% \, ^8 _7 \3 B# K
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof." j7 V5 x5 b" p' \' f
 + L0 F+ S* K3 X2 x8 U
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." g7 j+ j! T& G; ?
 + s5 {8 R/ G" i z
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.+ m$ A* q: K7 N+ q% O) b
 - ?" `1 |0 `8 m r# A) C; t
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.
& P( P. F! t5 F, ]1 q % w& v. J( Z# h' ~5 T3 N
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
( {0 G2 S1 w- l, x
$ _5 j. F$ V0 ~6 BThe 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.; I7 n1 C1 v W3 d+ ^1 c
[Search:DCION: C: d0 D- e( z. `- T7 ]7 i- D
. |$ }# J2 V5 p1 B7 v- s( w$ u! n6 L M. s0 s) Q; D
0 I; Y3 {( }* y3 A& V7 O& n |
/ @. b; E+ k- |% n1 L8 L: ]" l* o) I& j
|
我喜欢的