Laufen Swiss Architecture tour% r% B9 M* G% @- S+ A
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6 C* `0 |; z3 l0 G! ZDezeen 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., z+ j! V9 ]2 c$ Q
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n7 [* v' i5 ^0 t" n, r2 ?# VThe 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.
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5 N3 l: p9 {. v, |6 c4 [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.: T% s! F% l/ \5 [5 S; m% ?
5 G- w, o7 F. C ~5 Z+ YThe 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.' u6 {) }4 A. V8 K3 s! {
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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., u2 k! T, L' r' k9 h
p7 `3 v) T; o* _: }& i7 KThe 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.( ?+ Q, Z; t% d) H; O' [
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.1 v8 j1 |3 o9 P+ r8 j' X
0 ~3 E4 T; K5 I/ cLaufen 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.# M* G9 e9 ^4 |# {. |: c, H1 M
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