Laufen Swiss Architecture tour3 ]4 h. o" P6 `5 Y# x. x
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9 m2 J- ]+ b3 n9 C6 O! u4 y8 \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.3 P" ?5 K2 R# d( q8 P$ q! s5 A5 C }/ t
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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.
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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.
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8 c, V4 Z$ f N# J1 `* wThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.' H6 g/ v1 x1 B
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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.
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5 z4 b2 Q B% `8 l6 ~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.. @- ^- T( X" |" `6 Q$ F
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.# U5 L( r' }( ?) [" U- I! G- `2 V6 N
& _! Z( o) k5 G- K; D2 hThe 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.3 P5 Q- V! K5 p4 \! p) j$ x9 b
2 r- F4 S8 I* ~1 s4 b9 FThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.% q' d) n2 C( Y; H, l
* ^5 _6 V2 @- {0 ~6 @3 hLaufen 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.: V/ B v- K e. W6 q7 m( {* B
}3 M' g5 s- r! C( ?6 mThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.$ ~; C2 r* z7 _6 o) {* ]" S# j
! y& e/ Z+ R( ?4 R$ UThe 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.
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