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.% {6 z3 A9 y& W) e4 E* C
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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.4 f% e. ]" o1 C8 ^" s3 |" R6 E
7 `$ [8 T( n& [* mYou 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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7 W* a. L& r8 c' v9 o. ~The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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8 [5 S/ J7 f4 j, M7 VIts 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.: ~4 I, L2 [3 y& B" D6 F8 n
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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.' ^7 N, a5 |7 Q! O- ?, V
* W" B4 u6 @! ~7 R, CThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.! S" T2 U7 G7 o+ @. `. A
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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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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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/ x% p* K' I" W7 `" h. v7 V) WLaufen 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.
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