Laufen Swiss Architecture tour: S' b! C9 L* Y5 g
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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.7 X, ^% e- {$ T2 W1 O- L$ Q
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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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# u& u3 Q% r) C6 s6 E% L8 AYou 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., U, ~' Y; J. X9 X$ [# ~3 v5 b
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The Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre., u( b' y9 N2 d
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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., _8 r: q+ o& \0 q [6 x& W- t
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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., I* r5 \; H* v' d8 N' O. f
) t m& j- c5 z7 O% j, zThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.7 ]$ h* v) l+ l- `0 ^ ^' }
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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.
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The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.! K7 E* D* k# n8 L
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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.8 d# u$ H3 n. X8 [7 Z
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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.* x8 ^+ H6 g/ o# A P+ F$ 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.* k* ^5 b1 F, {# I. w6 x: S3 `
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