Laufen Swiss Architecture tour- f9 B& j4 T6 c
. h; j6 ]4 l: w# y/ q9 v / x2 o1 R. y& M
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.
w5 j2 w9 s+ B6 I; O, g5 n
( s2 F9 @( c3 p* P( g[/url]
7 |. i( L( f+ Y$ u" |) v/ n' S; i6 GThe 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.) u' }- x5 C ^
 . o* T6 ^! S7 F* R4 t2 A z
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.
3 l! X7 z8 f; s
1 B( ]; L' I {4 |: V. h3 v- JThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.2 P5 g4 v3 f+ G( p- \5 k
) F- W: b3 B; u t" a e" nIts 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.
% O, i" } {% [' \ " p" h% g1 g, i
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.
0 ^5 e; _! F1 w) F' g
, ~* ]3 J$ I% T! Z: d- Z, Y* {; _The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.6 x* D) w: _, ^
2 C0 I0 S' T4 m' ^: IThe 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.
6 |6 C, M6 j9 S, d2 a( u- L0 V R - I0 ^3 s1 |) U1 e8 v: R
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material./ q% @5 T6 {- A0 J( Q6 {1 Q1 w9 R
 * g. \2 w" _8 \; J/ O& \! l9 E8 g# T8 f
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./ h' L5 t- K; r0 @( k) F, P' S
/ s4 X, p2 D H$ z, DThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.1 _( b9 f }) {0 ]) V+ S) H8 l
% _& q* x" f6 E7 F2 z: M- r9 ]0 g/ KThe 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.
. h% Y+ u7 ]# `+ I( g' i[Search:DCION
8 X9 a( d5 g8 ~+ G! E ! x" a+ c1 k1 O1 ~9 j- d
: _! W4 u$ x( Y: G; k! _9 A
7 h, r9 E% e( `- n# l |
' B, s8 a# h2 [4 K; W9 R! t0 z5 q- D) ?% |( Z$ L
|
我喜欢的