The heart of Swiss bathroom culture has been beating here since 1892. It is now incorporated in a visitor and presentation centre, built in an unconventional architectural style. The LAUFEN Forum is a brand statement in one piece of concrete – without a single window. A place devoted to bathrooms and a source of inspiration and information for builders, architects, retailers and tradesmen.

THE CONCEPT.

The building has a clearly defined concept. It is a meeting place dedicated to the LAUFEN brand. It includes a spacious section for exhibitions, test bathrooms and an area for training and presentations. The impressive 6,500 cubic metre large structure on Wahlenstrasse aims to offer a range of facilities and satisfy a variety of demands. Basel architect’s office Nissen & Wentzlaff designed the two-storey, made of exposed concrete virtually throughout. Viewed from the outside the building looks like a receptacle.

And that is not far off the mark. When visitors walk around the building, or from a bird’s eye view, the building ultimately reveals itself to be a scaled replica of a familiar LAUFEN ceramic washbasin. Symbolically the building was cast in one piece exactly like its ceramic model. Unlike the product, the building does not contain water but the company’s products.