Laufen Swiss Architecture tour i4 s7 f2 |' G" i* m. P# X' N7 Q
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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.
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5 A! j& Z6 }7 C, _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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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.
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.* N& p+ S. L4 r1 a7 _* i. _
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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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1 s5 R" g1 ]2 \1 @1 m& QThe 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.- i6 V$ E/ ]9 \
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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4 s* y/ R& O0 }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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% e8 C* p8 p7 X( k+ R/ K- t8 \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.
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9 Q0 o" o1 h6 R& c+ \0 X0 J. DThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.0 s5 R- k2 C/ V u) G7 E
8 c; Q& p1 T4 y0 c+ L0 m4 u sThe 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.$ D3 @2 L7 |: m! ~" L, f- r! _
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