Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
2 k" _" s! u, E) Q
$ n5 a+ ? y9 k. \' d0 r y1 g: m1 g j
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.
3 {) u2 ?6 P7 Y5 d
; {( G9 ~) S! V; z' z7 C2 f[/url]
1 B% ^+ b, `3 b& Y( ^ t+ p; _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.
+ U5 T5 `2 G& Y7 |7 v. n4 E 0 d4 k' J: Y0 [; O6 X* {- u0 ?
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 n. o# o6 U5 K! o
' @8 C. L2 j- H5 [The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
; ]1 N0 M* I- C- W
0 C8 e$ q0 u/ \ Z" HIts 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.
1 b# G5 q7 ]8 Z( s
& k) q& g& z2 ~4 B+ v J- L; {" s, f' [4 aThe 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.
! ?6 R: z/ h b# A1 W% b4 ? # C2 C: C' N2 Q4 U3 |
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.4 D( p2 g! S; ~6 J/ h! n* {& C. P
. i, G# L3 B5 F1 O; L# k% hThe 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.% X" T8 b4 s' z0 D7 I
 9 |: X# f. g" [+ N9 ~4 f- W& y
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material., i# r! [. u4 j0 ^
w" \5 }* Z* mLaufen 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.6 [( X7 y4 s7 g, L/ c
( x* Q0 u( a. F( K2 A4 ] MThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
# t) Y0 R8 z! ~ # z6 v, k1 k, g7 S
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.
/ k8 ~6 b8 s$ h9 c. B6 |* l/ k# n[Search:DCION
4 v+ N, l/ O2 ?: ~ ! D: T, Y- \& `2 M) \% i
6 [* W! `8 `* Q( y) W. R& _
) L J U! [/ Q% u: A" r8 t' k
|
: ~; H2 G) o2 P" T0 c+ @4 e* y T( W. S; K* `4 _, y
|
我喜欢的