Laufen Swiss Architecture tour 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. . m' C! T7 ?* Z3 s[/url] 1 C+ _; n9 Z1 S6 _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. 7 G9 S' v- `- ]. F, ] 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. ) b2 n" Y1 ~& h4 Q; b2 oThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. ' l' H/ l" i$ n4 M6 U   o4 d* Y8 Y" C* W+ m+ f' w9 {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. 1 ?/ I! ?3 g& S% l7 ?+ g $ f8 O$ ~; z$ [  i5 C& b: nThe 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. ! f/ h+ P5 j1 M& J6 J/ M$ l The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. # i- l) ^- H/ H: i . c0 c6 {: W8 `' b* ]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. ; m+ R3 }# ~! ?% ]8 V$ h The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. " M) [9 X/ W6 ?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. : z+ x; Y8 Y4 b4 u- d! hThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. * `; t8 c: _# ^8 i+ o- ^ 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.   G, q8 i$ @1 w. g& h[Search:DCION 2 k0 k) {1 l2 S 9 b6 O  a* L( ` 0 Y0 k& E- }% U7 c8 s; R2 X6 h

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