Laufen Swiss Architecture tour' r4 H( s9 O+ w9 i) V+ K; t7 r
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% R. J5 E& x; ^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.
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* \# N% u3 {1 r8 M6 Z! l. eThe 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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$ \9 G0 V: p& E2 t/ YYou 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.
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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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. P7 S# s& D5 ~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.
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$ O8 C% g+ V, N* \+ w4 z- O2 P; TThe 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.
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/ V- E8 P% p. f: \The building is almost entirely windowless but the central events area is lit by skylights punched into the roof.) ^) @4 s/ }* g) |6 ^2 C
: k9 [6 y* |; V2 PThe 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.3 o- O9 x; H9 G" V1 e
* v: L \5 Z/ h; E, yThe production of the pieces still involves many manual processes and a thorough understanding of the nuances of the material.
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+ ?. Y4 s. m( z8 t6 ~$ yLaufen 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.4 ?9 Y! F7 C" o& a/ }, M3 P6 [
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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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6 C! b5 [* v. m! E# v: J4 I- DThe 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 I9 g9 S: ^+ x' M1 f: S6 n
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