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2 P7 B3 N- y- ?( W4 p7 [* ZDezeen 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.
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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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9 Z0 W2 @! k( f/ i+ M# Q+ oYou 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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5 ?. X! _9 C* u6 SThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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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.& @! U b! v# {( _
' p4 x2 B. P7 L% A, s5 jThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.' ~, N q u' {7 Q. Y; a
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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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+ u- b; H& H7 Y3 S! vThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material./ r' e2 g; p9 B% Y! v; m5 ^, i, i
3 ? W! h1 G9 c$ h! J$ O; {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.' K& l! i% q p0 K { \
! {7 J# w2 d- ^5 B; N6 t: n4 ^The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
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6 D9 F% `; X/ k5 x9 @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.
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