Laufen Swiss Architecture tour - {! H- \3 H. Z3 N1 Q% c 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. [/url] 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. % L4 @, n5 T1 s- ` 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. # S2 \% J* z1 b: H, q: G# O + n% O" Z! U( ]4 HThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre. 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. 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. The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. 9 c* G0 U" c3 y( p- w4 T 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.   ]+ U/ E2 L" `, ] 5 g. Z9 s3 {" L) iThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. # w4 e' W' C* J+ E ( O; j" j' l6 s7 `* GLaufen 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. # Z8 C: C# v' {' h7 T5 g/ |' g   M' S) B! O: V) J6 I5 m: AThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. % k, }( }+ f( _7 ^* P. ]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. % d+ y  U9 l9 w0 w; V[Search:DCION 8 T6 l) }( @8 n ; v3 ~) @5 V- V7 E" P+ ?3 a) }

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