Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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3 J1 o$ u0 b% P& U1 kDezeen 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 q! Z" n5 [- q+ M4 }# t! N6 _
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' d8 k- Z+ D6 ?* tThe 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.: X- v0 x" M( _# f/ s+ g/ m
- W' l$ h, N5 c. m+ wYou 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.
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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.! G2 `) s+ I" o/ u8 G
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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.* ^4 [ ` S5 ]2 K/ Z1 K
) x: r4 ~& \& D" E3 i1 c+ ^9 ^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.
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$ X0 q( M: a& G$ w: t5 C- }8 r" mThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.- Z& o; h, w$ n- g& G" s; I
3 S7 t/ A' l5 Z; B$ e f4 BLaufen 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.: N" }$ m& _. l2 n0 a6 m+ m
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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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