Laufen Swiss Architecture tour$ [9 G+ O4 x# L6 b
8 K7 M4 W( r) a9 `$ F
$ L+ |7 } F/ G3 L7 nDezeen 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.
7 V' ~" i, a7 I: H
9 _* Y7 p8 J7 E/ v4 T" ~[/url]
& I4 R' o& P3 CThe 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.
# i; Z& i. S9 ` s* v- P/ y. D ( @3 b$ T* g- _& ~
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.
: H4 D% s; [3 R& y& d B - k* T' l6 a- D I8 X
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre., j: S9 d* t) X/ g& p- n
 ! ~8 k( ~1 V- t+ \5 r! ^# _# h/ [8 G
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.! E' s" o1 H0 \5 i
. c; V8 S5 a: {, ?% Z1 S1 vThe 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.
( \$ P m6 {. |8 F. x
; w- D1 R6 `8 n# Z2 tThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
/ ^6 E6 P0 m) X. s* ^ 4 ^( ?3 d. f3 |" L$ S/ j0 D
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.# q9 i7 s- t. F7 `
 4 J0 V) ^3 L4 U+ Z0 {+ u7 c* t ~
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
5 z# ]3 H( H' F1 d \
7 s8 @& _/ g! y6 H- I& U; ILaufen 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.
6 h) }2 I. j0 c8 F
4 g0 A9 ]! l1 m5 |' w T6 w4 HThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
' E( _2 S- I* J) P4 ?$ G
0 A j- m1 G& g1 hThe 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.# B/ C2 O X+ D- n1 w G
[Search:DCION& z2 L% b u. O( E) g
2 w. J, o- O% X2 b E+ X( V5 Z K" N% O9 b" R1 Q
; |) |; Y! R! F2 m" v5 y" g& m& ^
|
6 s! S; j8 v! V4 t$ h$ j6 i) ~" x9 p3 @ U* Z. G8 b9 p
|
我喜欢的