Laufen Swiss Architecture tour5 I* f% R" D' u' U
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, t% T' m5 C( s$ g! G7 `% [$ nDezeen 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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2 j7 l+ i. |9 _* IThe 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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( h; }9 |7 t% dThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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/ B3 M; f7 [5 I: l0 y aIts 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.
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* L B& `+ ~4 O2 k" f- a5 N$ T) v; ?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.- V' _( c: }( d9 n% u9 X
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.% l( Q9 \. o( `, D' x) P
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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.* e$ E0 `8 S3 p
* |2 z8 J: Q/ e7 ?# L! J/ qThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.+ O" V1 y2 }! t9 {# y. O# c, ^- \/ T
, ^/ h8 Q8 u0 f, ]* h2 d$ kThe 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.4 V$ r' G' t0 @
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