Laufen Swiss Architecture tour
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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.8 p! u2 |' r% O+ V
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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.
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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., Q6 _& C8 p8 l; H: n
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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./ B3 k) x9 {5 K1 @
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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.$ S6 j! F" I$ Z3 M8 @
9 l4 [ C* i2 Z5 z5 @" V6 O' oThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.8 H& J) I8 _- ~# J' i; ^: _
* n/ \4 e$ A$ u1 BThe 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.: {. ]1 V) q/ `% K: |3 H
9 Y0 [' v7 ?) B- O/ Q r# f1 EThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.% ^6 n1 _5 [3 S5 W0 _
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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.
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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.: b, R g9 f m o; ^
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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. c5 z, S9 D, |0 F S5 z4 a
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