Laufen Swiss Architecture tour9 w. f- H) ]8 y1 g, q
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/ I8 W) e4 d$ F$ SDezeen 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.
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y. @! @# a& K3 y' a: x# G$ }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.
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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.
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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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$ T( ^$ M& h7 hIts 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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6 O% T; {0 A8 n5 S* i: YThe 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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* \8 m" }+ A7 D0 {, b' I9 ?The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.% C9 g3 i( a; |" m
# l. o# ?' u" v8 H: J9 JThe 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.4 J# J, m; j- K0 r2 b4 B- f
' B/ h0 E* H+ C! C7 {The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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) j! _' G" B" pLaufen 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./ Q5 k4 \& I4 o! L& i& K
4 N4 m) O% w f6 v* d, @The 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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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.8 ?% \; A8 P0 m& e; g' j
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