Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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; j: M9 Y; {% Z4 q7 N$ M" R) YDezeen 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.2 y3 z* v. F; X# `
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6 J/ z& S3 b7 s8 k) S( A9 y7 iThe 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./ T0 G n* C$ F6 @3 [2 x

+ a+ J6 u2 [4 H7 |! K% G, mYou 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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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.: p1 o4 [# o8 r2 T
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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.
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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.
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/ c$ l/ E; ?7 ]3 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.
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, }7 x* H0 h) O0 U+ c3 xThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.* q+ _1 P. i/ i4 p1 \( w( l# k+ `( I

! D7 ^ L3 h/ s# r _ O2 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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8 ?9 E3 R! d' Z" v, H$ jThe 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.) t. j$ E% ]7 C! y9 n
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