Laufen Swiss Architecture tour9 z) l5 V! E6 N* q3 @- e
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: h7 U& P/ M/ E9 `3 MDezeen 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.
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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.4 X8 V6 H6 [3 u L/ C
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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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P! E$ f. |5 Z2 p' J2 KThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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% n2 \7 V1 c4 j) _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.3 P" v& u% ~! ~% y) L/ p6 t
+ w) |, K1 Z6 x$ Y/ N7 c4 \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.% k$ U* x, K) P7 J9 ?- K) L Y
6 X" q7 W5 o5 p$ t) pThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof., l# d7 g0 C8 \4 T8 |) s
* H; O$ Z; _. A6 RThe 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.' R0 s% F' c3 P* _2 l
4 ^* u/ y. E0 \The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.' v# {! {" M# {+ h- Q m6 @
/ V8 W$ ?0 p7 }) L' WLaufen 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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! O2 |! R3 B' i8 ~7 N, q6 U( fThe 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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2 B/ p! Y% }# {, k: ^; }8 G( v" W# 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.
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