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1 A; X" [& T( ^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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5 Q- W# o+ h6 Y7 E' I) YThe 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.' {* N, V4 i7 b5 R; |
, o m5 S. P( X$ U1 f7 o$ n1 I( dYou 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.% {8 W0 e" ^1 Z3 ~: J: u# N
. P* L; {' D5 \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.7 Y6 N7 I. Y+ A& y) I- Q
! c5 L5 E9 s) ^* G/ 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.
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) R4 U. Q5 ?2 j- v# f( ]3 fThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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8 G: W# i& y o1 E' MThe 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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# N2 t1 ^! l1 x# QThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.3 h4 T* u$ g! G
- T. t+ F% l. {1 d3 NLaufen 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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& y' m: W, m5 R9 ^The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.6 p, m. ~( B6 J o4 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.( `3 I+ m" r- d u3 J
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