Laufen Swiss Architecture tour. U) `" g/ T1 \' o
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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.: y1 q2 f& i3 J. o$ s) T2 U. _' A& i$ u8 D
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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.! @" K- h: d8 A
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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.0 x' f; b5 V1 z x8 n s" L4 x3 J
/ @/ n+ N- c9 W h# BThe 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.
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# V7 G% K( g! M* D: M( Y4 G( QThe 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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The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.
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2 _0 `% u2 A) w! G% t- U: O$ s, ~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.' c% g9 L! A- _) h0 ^) w
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.+ r0 }7 i2 ?; o" O* R7 |" ^( t
3 ?' B% y1 I+ {/ R4 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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The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.. C- D9 A1 ~8 w- ]5 ]& U
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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.: h/ j3 ~9 N+ c$ [' h5 b5 m
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