Laufen Swiss Architecture tour " Q7 g+ q5 _, K2 l 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. / y8 @: T9 M3 T' K7 h, ]6 H [/url] 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. 9 u' P% M% b; d" g- u, _' ]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. / b. d3 ?* @: X/ q 9 C9 r/ N9 L: f$ E: y( G/ }+ S% [The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. 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. # |- k5 m0 l( H- q/ JThe 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. The 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. ' r* V, Q8 w0 q, }+ Q  sThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. 1 x& n( B( X, _" ^9 x& _ * o0 }: f8 C3 F. f) Q- FLaufen 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. 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 H- w8 d0 S- @, k0 tThe 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. [Search:DCION 2 _8 J1 P1 z6 w# X9 }   W" h% P! ?' a  r+ h3 q! t$ c - v5 b. R2 p6 n

! u  K  A/ j2 x% c
, g$ x( a7 O  L1 W+ d# ], Y4 {

我喜欢的