Laufen Swiss Architecture tour3 y" ~! ~: a! [ C* {! l9 X
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# Y/ i8 P, T9 {, o" VDezeen 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. I+ z; U" u& J; M, X J$ l% |
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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.% u! J5 ~0 p1 K. |2 b- W: o
* m9 h& l7 m7 Z3 O k4 }- LYou 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.9 i. y/ H! X* z
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.6 P1 @" P) n b% i9 v
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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.# E* A9 x+ ^8 }% Z# k A- G* ^5 N
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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.: M0 t/ z. S1 j3 {; a( d9 w- Y
1 L. g+ ?% c) i4 g( c: @The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.. [; g: ~- w: M) a# x& 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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) e1 u& } z, A$ oThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.+ ^( ]2 J: n9 ]7 Y9 S4 \8 R1 d$ l
: d! d& V, d S9 ]- `4 a! o. ]" I3 dLaufen 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.! n- e; D# g3 m% C/ z* f- ]
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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.% c, N/ _+ y0 ?/ t6 I3 @
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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.7 L( q- U8 X2 F2 [- q
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