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.2 ^. |. A/ U' c& b7 Z
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9 c7 k- B# B! O/ B" o4 v; k# K' H: 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.
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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.5 o% F4 Y# J8 Y b+ Y; c

) ^+ s, ?! z4 g' j) K" XThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.9 R& z& Z$ L, E# n! b- H
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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.) ~# g. U, ?+ l* V% v7 f0 c( L
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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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R- R' x# g3 B4 V" F$ e$ X. T& g+ WThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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$ O* r- ]. t3 Y0 |6 k; AThe 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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" B9 i3 o% |4 W* @5 c( f, K" KThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.3 f% N/ T! L, N+ t e$ o

0 O' F4 K% E, x6 h* `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.
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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.* P8 `2 M2 p. G2 _4 a

& [; Q7 S+ c" rThe 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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