Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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$ C0 Q3 Q g g" 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.
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5 p. ^1 V, U. V6 |& h0 c( 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. w; m; U3 M9 k5 S3 ?
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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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; E5 u1 R, f* F! s4 ^The 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.8 N: D8 c! Q2 g& O0 m
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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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4 M5 k* l6 e2 X3 f" I( h, E' G2 MThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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' Y$ Z4 F( A0 s/ A4 l& i" bThe 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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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.' t& @! P+ g1 n' ^; @6 F' i/ t
: R! H5 Q1 Q3 I; A1 n8 t2 _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.9 @6 [* ~8 G0 _. J
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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.! [& {9 T; Z# X$ F, c) @5 k
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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.- |9 i* J4 M; f; v- b
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