Laufen Swiss Architecture tour6 Q) S! h, s# N) F m s% n3 ~. m
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1 _! M8 ]" ^0 M- G) qDezeen 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. s) K, }, I. u4 G( }# H
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# ~3 X! \& o7 q+ M; nThe 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 C- ]0 v) F! Z# x: J( j5 V! e
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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.& E& b. p: J, I, F0 H' B
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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, g' q* I: m1 g7 Y. }0 |6 F" V3 s% cIts 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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: M5 R- ]; m$ TThe 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.& G- m2 I) I* ~7 s* r( e2 _- `6 C
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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.1 t$ u S+ @- @2 _. }: P" D% _5 M0 ?- g
; _$ P% N1 {5 `1 d9 \9 P# ~The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.$ S% K& w1 l' s7 h( y5 Y# {
. S: b5 j% b: 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.. O& x0 N; s+ n3 q* \) z
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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.- F3 Z4 s3 p( {3 M9 V4 T3 A5 B
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