Laufen Swiss Architecture tour4 Q* v" C, ~- a. K# K
! [8 t2 S) n& T) @
) I" o w& K% A' T9 u0 K4 XDezeen 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.( { m8 K3 y0 Y1 k1 {' F
/ u# S9 X( K# t7 O5 w[/url]/ J+ L' }2 X7 U) l, d
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.2 A0 n4 f% R& d. F9 E
 4 `6 n! m2 c# _* [! |, R
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.
3 F* ~- w4 q! ~5 S* F0 ]+ j+ W
. C5 V1 Y! `/ tThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
2 [9 o) G# \8 L0 S4 v $ A3 I4 q& E9 M+ v
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.
2 K9 B3 S/ p u0 } , G$ A) h5 F- X. ~ m- K* v
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.6 t9 q; h; Z L2 u
 5 L9 K, l! i* ?6 O! r* V8 w; x# A9 _$ U
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.6 {, F' r5 p% u6 d, Y! H
( I0 [) ^6 R. MThe 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 f [ ]- i9 l ! ^- \& P% u6 m a
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.* ]$ C6 d3 X" G9 d
 + c* e. S: q+ @, l$ ^% S
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.
( M! E3 H" Z+ T ; P, ]4 X: _. `; x- ~5 u( \! p. P6 R
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.
/ X' U* b5 ` p+ m0 w. U " b( P& f9 B. f! z/ v% m
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.4 A" u4 m Z& }$ M$ ?' Q
[Search:DCION$ M2 H' c4 l5 Q) B/ t. N3 F
 4 e, ]5 y- x9 a Z6 c. m9 s' v
. T, a( {# a! g' t) w5 m7 a6 d i0 k
|
0 u% `# q" F) t1 l9 ]
" F: `4 R' J8 F! g X |
我喜欢的