Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
. U3 }$ \5 Y. l6 E! n& a t5 H! U
# y% \ g4 P- \
1 f! Y/ I3 u- o) b% G, qDezeen 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.0 a# Y! W6 u6 B; e" V U
* Y0 J K Z# p5 i' t[/url]7 ^3 z: T9 W8 u% q4 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.
8 q" M+ ~4 s0 F' u, X4 A3 b ( `% P2 x- a5 q3 T5 s+ p- h0 Q9 N
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.4 {) v0 R" s, Z( r
6 z1 @& x3 e& jThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.8 `8 t- K+ y1 R- Y) z, ]2 K
 - s6 k) u) U$ P |
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.# g4 m$ O- }" n9 `" O3 P
 6 r7 C- e! _( e& a3 `: F) W
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.
+ k5 |- q) M, J3 C0 g . C0 z7 R* k& f5 ]# k6 g5 V
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
/ M6 r8 n) O. m9 q
+ c- t4 S) B: ?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.4 [0 _$ C; v/ x2 [8 T- |
4 N! m2 y, ~3 Z. j0 cThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
3 u4 l$ s, Z6 l S% [$ r! u & Y' A( `# W# v6 k9 f7 P i: _
Laufen 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.
' L8 L- M7 \; H3 h" p* ^4 G. }+ E ( k% t* m* ?" \" ~8 ~8 A0 N
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.& ^2 z$ s4 {, f T! Y
 8 B# r4 {1 b) G/ A1 ]! T& v$ X0 q5 g
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.
; {7 s7 R6 X. u, E" m& H[Search:DCION1 o% S& W V+ U$ Y' v+ H0 K( u
" I! G- F9 E1 P5 y0 {( p% }$ g9 P- R) V2 e# O( L( j
0 V+ o7 [, ]/ m3 a5 C( n A' q
|
* e H/ w/ }3 F, M' A2 G4 a
i0 d5 n h" V |
我喜欢的