Laufen Swiss Architecture tour9 \1 F5 X, n* g! M2 Q' L
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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.7 p4 Y0 S6 ]/ s5 ]- W% N; v3 S
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. d: f/ ^. _* T* OThe 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.9 e" i8 E* h2 _ l
! O4 j( ?; w/ qYou 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.
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
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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.6 B- q z: q6 X9 l
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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.
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. R1 ~& G2 T# d& y" N! c! S: xThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof./ A, L% ]' o, N7 g$ H
% t& @( G) L* ` y6 U" t6 DThe 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.: b* p8 v$ J& I
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.7 i! o6 L6 V: ?. Z3 L7 A
/ ?) g1 S# p. ]! F- YLaufen 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.
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- b, }" c0 K, h3 q- |+ w+ TThe Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
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" ]* e3 ?( O( I, P+ c9 g4 a, lThe 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.
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