Laufen Swiss Architecture tour' M* W9 x( l- M2 d5 y2 F) |$ ^# U
2 Q" @5 A& Q. \- N& I( J/ f
 0 E3 d6 E, m9 a9 Y/ c: x
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.; ?) |! I7 Z2 I
3 \, \' e$ S1 P! \5 ]
[/url]4 T. k f7 [5 z+ v- x Z
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.
" u* J% W B- u0 T M
4 G- h, n3 I9 XYou 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.- O# j6 T: m3 X8 U
, K- ]- d6 `1 J* _The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.5 Z& D; K2 h7 }+ D' ^7 \
/ n: F2 L+ z% V3 R2 ?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.
" C* s7 `( U2 l; M$ {8 b % M( E" l* f9 \9 H, s
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.
) `. A( n4 y+ |* ?" ?3 s / G. P$ y' U& X1 Y# d C
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.( x3 r+ Z# O/ R! E- h: a
 2 K Y+ ?* v# J1 O( Y% n
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.
+ j9 C V/ ?# Y, c W5 Q : k. L! s& t( L$ E2 K% Z
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.! k9 ~/ d6 R" |0 l, J, a( m
 : m [. S$ T( R" I! o& D
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.
: l& z$ ~. i/ T- [1 E ( y6 n( J: j* U* L7 _
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
/ f0 _$ _# a4 |6 K4 C1 c( N
9 s: |9 n+ {# D3 q, XThe 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.
: ?% q. |, q6 R$ `[Search:DCION
3 z( `2 t( k5 ]1 u9 U) F / p: s/ d' C+ c; D! b
) h: z7 ~7 Y: r( m& W# |$ j" `( H; R- v0 g
|
) t& m% H) C9 j- K! c$ D9 z* B' [
" J$ ?' w3 Z6 c8 w; x9 G! H |
我喜欢的