Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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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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& n4 M( O$ q! |4 B7 }; bThe 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.2 K. F, L/ W& F/ k- A# n
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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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* U# o( `" ~% i* h% Y- VThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.! x7 X, x8 Z( f! n, K$ |# ^
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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.6 ]: O3 D8 w9 A$ y
7 C5 c& G# u9 v$ c6 _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./ t& o# y9 R6 X2 |8 x! u7 l( e
5 r* X% ?" T: v( H1 @The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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, p- ]0 j1 `, o) [. zThe 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.1 c" o* `" u9 P; t! ~6 K% O
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.$ r; M. y% f% i _, b1 c
6 \6 P4 c! {# f- V/ v, OLaufen 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.( K% P! s1 V" T/ P6 K g* T
/ y, ~9 `: Q: O! q1 q* x2 U* \$ QThe 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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, M1 u& e( k5 O @" w! aThe 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.# |- K; {0 H6 l' c
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