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.: k5 r/ I: g6 a7 _1 e
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1 m# K4 M' Y: m# L w O6 TThe 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.1 ~" { m7 S$ r
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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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4 Y( a6 @8 T( O8 R2 `% m7 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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: h4 S4 D9 ~2 `5 j1 CThe 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." n% j/ v# x) m1 M/ z( z" p# S, E

7 a/ g9 e6 U) @$ Y( ]! `$ gThe building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.# l6 s4 Y( x4 a; z8 n1 l$ h$ O+ X
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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.- S- E+ g* `6 P( n6 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.
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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.
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+ C9 X0 W' b, x% q6 SThe 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.# u" U+ {! g, S! L( z- `6 _5 b
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