Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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9 u$ x. n7 C1 {8 f$ X; P J( bDezeen 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.$ b5 v& d2 g+ q" i1 I {) T/ }
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0 X; A+ |( S- W' rThe 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." o7 H w% o# o \
1 ~4 M( c+ o; t1 V+ dYou 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.- M; I% m9 n0 B
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. q6 b+ h) n7 P) c' X0 ~
* ?* O2 M% ^0 d, l, d) [% ~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.4 |# @1 t2 h2 |; T* q
' ?. \, j+ v+ k8 C. {( pThe 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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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.% R2 p* d i8 @0 g0 u/ t0 n. Y
* n9 m4 J6 Y9 [8 fLaufen 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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1 x7 x9 ^" n# rThe 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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% \8 D# O+ G& W3 g+ t& n& L, q1 FThe 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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