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.2 ^4 ^4 H# c( a6 m- X& b" J
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7 Y" Y- A) V; j1 dThe 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.+ @3 }0 C7 c! C, Y$ e6 v
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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.0 y5 L* f; l- n; j1 {9 S$ ?
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.3 G7 u0 q. D i. f* B& Q
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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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* `0 T, C: T+ z# JThe 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$ h0 I _ T) s( w
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.5 E8 s/ W, Z9 S2 }
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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.: y3 y! l U: i* t9 s Q
+ j, S0 Y9 q% j6 JThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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6 o0 O) H7 I9 Q# `9 `1 d7 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.3 ^: y1 W- I! D R" }2 c
7 I( Z; f- v/ n4 e( H5 eThe 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.! o, D/ R; ^* \1 V+ Z" a
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