Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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$ u- V# w( _" z; H7 F' b2 EDezeen 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.! _, p& M1 g/ u4 E/ E7 o$ c
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0 W0 ] |0 P8 X4 Y1 q4 dThe 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.! ^; h6 N& H# H! v; Y
$ B4 u- B0 t3 q( |( {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.+ l* T+ T Y( f( W3 h
& _0 @6 d- Z: g+ x& i# a" Q6 \The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.7 J' E' v3 [) }/ Y" p
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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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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.5 e' E% ~/ Z% _
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.2 W" B. S# l) P
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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.
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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& ^- Z' D" z5 z+ i+ {2 {. x# BLaufen 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.$ F" o) R! `9 @& t: _2 p
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The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.$ @! Q* P) {& \5 q
5 d3 u0 H4 H$ A; _) qThe 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.. b1 [- `/ m( V8 S+ `
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