Laufen Swiss Architecture tour' D. a% Y7 o: p" w2 C: D
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. c8 l6 y" C4 J! H: \# ^9 N, zDezeen 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.- l% @# C0 V9 g1 `. |; V
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5 m, @0 f' a4 K. [5 B XThe 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.& K7 B* D6 M, K4 I9 z
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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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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.' Z* n2 \2 r/ e0 e9 C

4 V) ]) z/ K3 j) n" h, zThe 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.( ~1 N8 M, m# Z" _, h* E
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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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) H- o l* ^2 n/ b& D, N) mThe 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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9 {4 q& m0 h& T. b/ ]The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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# r+ S0 L/ V# }0 A% ] S2 |$ l7 fLaufen 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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' x$ I) z. Q2 HThe 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.
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