Laufen Swiss Architecture tour# f8 \! y. j1 z
2 j' ~/ Q6 {5 I U
0 |6 o: X/ b$ ]+ Q4 w$ g0 _$ y/ ~' a! eDezeen 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.
2 ~( N# ]9 ?9 a. i
$ O0 |, h5 C; T. t+ C[/url]8 h6 w4 Q2 Z. J$ b
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.
0 Y4 N% g1 J$ j. `5 K& v 6 X, m" w# g/ A+ ~0 R/ }8 Z
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 H: Z) G0 L, A0 [3 k
' b1 h( R* F2 v' e9 Z; JThe Laufen Forum sits alongside the company’s headquarters and acts as a showroom and visitor centre.
x! a% x! c6 t, h 3 X0 H" ?- _& W+ ], A: r: m4 F$ A
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./ f1 O# [! K) c: K- s
' m2 G1 E! ]2 M9 E; XThe 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 e' A+ `* F b4 s
 2 i/ y R4 K) `6 l3 t
The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.0 z; i/ E7 ^2 P9 ?6 Y1 s
 Z' y' C, D+ S1 \6 A! A4 m
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.; n. K8 P1 Z" p% y) T
 3 g: o; n! G/ M& {1 {/ b
The production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
& m" w7 j8 l+ O. i& } - x9 ~6 n6 |/ C) b3 _& G4 c+ t
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.( o) X3 j3 \3 F- {9 S$ }
 9 [* F4 S4 t7 ^6 f y: ^
The Living Square collection (above) by Stuttgart designer Andreas Dimitriadis of Platinumdesign has a shallow basin and sharply defined edges that require precise moulding.. C, L+ \# _- Q4 G) E) \
8 o: X% H: q9 {, ~' t2 a# y* TThe 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.
; E; U6 D# s( \[Search:DCION
0 _' U! C/ X* O7 |# m ' s3 u: K" T$ E2 z# I
9 m2 L; ^" S1 g* }1 l8 e E
8 d8 e+ h1 w4 h! T! j+ J. R
|
3 ?4 H! m# c' G1 b2 L
+ `6 |% [8 ^5 B, b+ W |
我喜欢的