Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
* z: _1 \: K( |/ F7 h! j
4 ~: y( f8 t1 N4 P6 O
* y3 ~3 m* [+ T) B+ M/ b. P% aDezeen 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.
. x: O2 f+ O$ ~8 l& e; I1 ~& ~% @6 ^' O# F6 |8 ~
[/url], `) Z Y. P5 T; j0 O, M) F( ^0 j
The 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.
' O8 v+ [; F( N. y. ?) h7 p+ \) T ) f7 Q! t- ?- \9 F
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.% B" G2 @9 m5 n3 b/ R+ [3 m! o
1 J* c0 a$ U3 r2 B" w- ZThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. i. |4 `1 _; O3 d
 & u, E! Y+ u$ c- h% t# M3 q: Z
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.2 K+ [3 O, e$ t% ^' J
' |$ ` J6 m" o& o) J3 K4 O# hThe 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.
]+ o0 \ `/ h9 j+ C * p* ?: {! i) `: a
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
+ g+ {9 u: y7 t: s/ y+ o+ f$ e # s; n- A. Z% A2 |4 L9 d6 s
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.
9 u- |' _: t2 L S' V
& n: V+ f! j: ^5 K2 V/ Q+ |6 yThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.! D7 Z' x: C, v% K& r0 A
5 Q# q" x, J9 c5 U, D* 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., H3 F: p# ^6 ^! `0 v/ D! Y
 ) @; c. o, Z5 P w. @
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.8 M/ r& E* E8 \& d! i9 C2 i. w
 . e0 ~6 w. ?* d! Q1 w
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.9 R, B, h- [/ ?% ~$ D
[Search:DCION
$ K# s) h1 ~- W . _( j# K3 d. h3 ~! o
2 }2 F$ y: n; F& z1 Q) d+ T4 \0 C" A; D o/ M
|
; ~. ~8 j# H, S, C
" h( D: e; f; C" {0 G |
我喜欢的