Laufen Swiss Architecture tour# q' Y) V- C& L" S
- ~0 i! n7 a4 v. s! {. A# C/ X
/ m/ F I8 S- |, x6 e+ WDezeen 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.+ I3 ?2 r( H! A* g h% |. ?$ S
1 s( k) w6 z2 z- |7 n
[/url]
- F O% F" B# y* t$ ]4 K, `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. V0 N4 Q* C8 `4 a: w) M K
 & A* M& s+ ~$ z" `# t
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., ^! [ d. v: y! y7 V9 U
 ' J5 C% O$ ]2 w `) |
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
2 q1 N8 A8 d* K+ t: ~% v) `
0 e9 O/ E) k0 `1 nIts 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.% K( ~! p# [5 ^$ m
( l( s$ m; I8 h$ T3 FThe 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.
+ K' ]' r, _% o3 _ 5 w5 S! O* d0 M. ~" [" L% K- A9 F
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.2 Y' x. A B! \! C1 a
- D6 q% _* z) i5 R0 vThe 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.
7 g. g p2 s4 B4 [8 P2 P( v
% |# R4 Z$ C9 C9 W+ x/ g% PThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.% p, \( ^) z" H, K# h! T+ ]6 I
 T0 L7 R/ m8 `1 T8 |3 L
Laufen 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.. ?( }) Q+ ?; f7 k' [! A D
, w% b, O& G$ }! fThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.3 y& c, t: H9 O! R7 O
$ X; h, ]! ?7 B" q) \6 P" K* GThe 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.' f) d' r9 {" N* R; u( j! {
[Search:DCION1 T0 e& Z: o3 Z2 [; m! r
 3 C' Y/ ^6 t3 Q
J* T, p3 w( I6 m" G& f, C! P
, u3 R' E( B6 Z/ Q- Z |
! d& M* L( W" K
0 D7 S; t/ d8 P- p* ^. ~+ v" n, R |
我喜欢的