Laufen Swiss Architecture tour; c1 l! Y, h' y
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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.
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8 s; P$ r" d e* h! k2 I1 SThe 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.' j! {; S7 D; M6 b
0 `, \) K. r6 GYou 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.! U" `5 F4 R2 r7 t
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.& {, q2 }9 q$ z
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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.+ t0 W4 Q6 m- ^! l" A: u0 }3 c
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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.0 V$ B1 ?" Z3 P' \& j: |( p O
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The 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.( T- ~& x* J4 f i* G7 O6 j5 L* x* {
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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) O$ t7 ]2 u. G, j' b {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.7 u3 z. {2 O* V& ~; l O
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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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4 A7 g5 v3 n+ H, ~7 k zThe 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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