Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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" d6 _# Q f0 Y+ zDezeen 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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6 U3 C& T( r1 U- n2 f- QThe 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.. g2 E- S4 ]) q7 b0 U$ }) Y
# n) U1 b9 K) Q8 @* {/ @The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. U: j$ G4 \: E/ V# U
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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.( b5 `8 k+ b A! v$ L( l
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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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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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0 ] i. Y( p+ U- rThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.* z6 Z5 S$ L/ M7 g6 d5 h! M
" a( A' M5 Q `# m q$ p6 pLaufen 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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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.. d7 O) ^) `6 Y$ C+ e1 ]" `- S+ W
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