Laufen Swiss Architecture tour # L% U& z' U8 D Dezeen 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 G3 Z/ D! K$ j3 x" T& R  | [/url] 1 ]& h, X& ?' v+ Y+ E. lThe 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. , y6 w% N$ x% |( r9 F- \0 q' C1 M 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  w; ~  J% d- p2 f6 f 5 q8 s% f# o* e$ p+ k2 V8 `  IThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. " \; ^; m, N4 T) Q* ? 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. 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. ) \! O7 z+ ]- ~( ]4 E0 f" u. H The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. 0 p4 @$ g4 q) X% ~( ^0 E1 { : R. Z$ s7 X/ M! G4 B4 z3 UThe 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. % n: M4 |3 A, n( X. }* I8 ~ 0 t* q6 ~3 Y: A1 U# y$ v% j3 dThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. 1 U- \% }4 f- V4 x1 H) G6 Y/ ^2 tLaufen 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.   f- c6 I7 D/ j% u) G5 yThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. " P4 d! r) M7 {" @ 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. [Search:DCION   b5 w. Q: S0 d8 I. r   ~, i8 r1 D7 L* ~* L : T& E% N3 m* V, Z* T( ~

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