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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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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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7 d, ]5 i+ K: pYou 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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( n# H! v8 a' v% m7 w: l7 Q5 @) s6 mThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.0 G5 u; R% y. f
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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.1 v" V8 f* l! K; R/ d/ r" T
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.; k p, L8 J1 _2 w# U
0 D: O! g0 x. m8 i* ~" q2 }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.$ f9 b& P& F) I% |+ T
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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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) {+ h5 ~1 n& l# O/ VLaufen 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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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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7 `! @6 s" |, f. m+ f- Z# a$ a b% bThe 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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