Laufen Swiss Architecture tour $ Q5 s3 y4 x. T# l; i( x ( J7 V, o. T* L3 i3 P* e% FDezeen 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] + Y5 s2 f! p# u  ^0 ]7 QThe 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. 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. , m2 V5 T0 M$ g3 N $ n4 P3 l. C7 P/ Y8 [3 |+ mThe 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. ; Q/ M8 k: L# B9 i6 F9 o The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof. 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. 7 Z8 d$ v0 g& s  s9 _% m$ Y4 q& IThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material. / d# k. y4 S  i; W5 n! Z  HLaufen 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. The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding. 0 @) W; L0 K$ b, a# [9 dThe 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. [Search:DCION ! b6 z' l, ~% e6 N! a& G

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