Laufen Swiss Architecture tour* Q: y4 ]. w% c' U* J
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1 B; E2 t5 l+ ]: 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., v$ P6 @/ t$ y0 A7 U1 x- F3 Z
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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.& e: ?* p5 b, f2 u& {0 {8 X
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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.
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5 g; m2 Y' T9 K( r& OThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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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.7 W5 i5 e# i: o L o
! w- B2 T% Q0 R7 N* aThe 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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6 h+ ~, V: I1 G; `8 kThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.: K; s& z( c% L# i0 X
! p( D, _$ E- F* I/ Q. pThe 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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; t8 _9 t6 ^' A+ m/ FThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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' v. _: G3 |8 `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.
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7 e; g! m6 Z1 ?2 Z, O* D2 bThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.: c# G+ V+ C. N) M/ m; r
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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.: ~" ^# n7 A1 {; _7 r& N
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