Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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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.% d5 \- g; l% ^0 J$ ~
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1 S, R( Y! }1 R4 aThe 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.; ? B! [; B( L e/ N
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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.) P+ A9 K1 s3 G$ ]) @6 m
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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. u/ |& [- k6 h: }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.
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.% P8 \. R. @( l; c6 J
4 ?, S7 K ~. aThe 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.9 @: ]6 t8 X" h0 b3 ~+ A; I
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.% ^' w \6 ~$ U' c# u
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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.5 R$ Q. B( e2 B% ], P
& o' X/ s& N. M3 T9 VThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.6 ^( V* c& c2 ^; H# F2 w1 ]+ D G" p) n
" N6 p+ F3 m* a! b% E1 gThe 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.* h( j7 U5 w- _. F* C, g* A5 y5 |
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