Laufen Swiss Architecture tour. r {& p2 Y! ~ J; X6 {0 Q
" p5 A0 U' F7 r
, a4 a1 {# u- Y/ T$ {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.2 P# a' a7 O& i a. G: ^+ C
g0 r+ m9 F7 X1 k0 y' h, w* H% I[/url]
6 J+ y5 l- s) B3 RThe 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.) L7 S! `& {" y& X" ^# D6 O" @7 ^& n
/ t0 Q! u% Q/ {; ?/ Z9 H6 ?& wYou 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.
' D$ Z8 [: t/ J( _$ G& v s 4 Y" y7 |) _9 [6 X; f2 a; b7 S
The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
) U6 n! `: ?( h7 H ! d9 o& I; I! U; v- w
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.
. I: |, G1 P( `& W+ W ( F+ g: G$ ~, I/ v" _$ y5 v, D
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.7 F5 X2 t; r; I1 k( D) b: q, g7 `
 4 a7 `1 T4 ] y& z, l) _1 r
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
" X( g& N1 P0 g
2 D4 C7 Z# X9 @, A. NThe 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.+ |5 d1 y$ z# n, }2 p4 |
' l, N! @4 n+ hThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
. l; B$ y: l, d+ x 9 Z! ` [8 \+ o$ x% Y+ M5 r* B
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.
; S; E" V# O1 m* x; \+ Y0 ]/ C 3 d# W% D6 W; g$ s$ A7 b% w( r+ K
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
! L! n6 E6 y# F9 Y. `, o$ W: |1 O- Q ! K; {$ v4 H8 a+ ^; e- G8 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.: D9 D, Z2 u: b2 `$ ?7 F
[Search:DCION+ T2 Y ^3 n+ r6 a) w$ X7 y
2 s; J; C; z* c4 D% ~% n X8 r! J2 m s" a4 i y% S1 F
8 B" Q4 U, A# b& Z9 |
|
' J. o% H8 N) R. m s' e* C
5 k/ k. S( d; D0 q0 }/ C+ e! A' F |
我喜欢的