Reflecting the expansive and interdisciplinary nature of Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and LAUFEN’s famed ILBAGNOALESSI collection is a collaboration that merges the two through visual spatial scenes. We spoke to Anne-Rachel Schiffmann, Discipline Director of Snøhetta, to learn more.
Why this collaboration? What was the motivation for Snøhetta?
This is the latest in a series of collaborations between LAUFEN and Snøhetta, one reflecting long-running aspirations to work together in ways that draw out the social and professional connections between our two studios. We are delighted to join forces to invigorate LAUFEN’s ILBAGNOALESSI bathroom design for Milan Design Week 2022! For Snøhetta, there is a passionate interest in connecting spaces, landscapes, and people through design, so a project such as this that seamlessly ties these concepts together is an ideal partnership for our team.
What was the concept of the exhibition?
For the collaboration, Snøhetta produced five renderings situating LAUFEN’s ILBAGNOALESSI product line within visionary spatial scenes. These renderings will be used to create interactive experiences in the LAUFEN space in Milano during Milano Design Week 2022. Our goal was to tap into the imaginative spirit embodied by LAUFEN ceramics and to allow the graceful, sweeping curves of the ILBAGNOALESSI pieces to take on unexpected and new forms. We wanted to present LAUFEN in a new light, make the brand’s products take on unexpected qualities, and give viewers an opportunity to feel a sense of wonder and inspiration.
What is its meaning or relevance?
Our team was inspired, perhaps somewhat obviously, by water and the flowing surfaces of LAUFEN products, but more specifically by the bird-like sculptural qualities of the ILBAGNOALESSI pieces. We wanted to highlight the beauty of these designs by viewing them through other-worldly perspectives. We wondered ‘what would LAUFEN-inspired architecture and interiors look like?’ and envisioned a house animated by the formal qualities of this line and from the bodies and movements of Swans. We brought together different LAUFEN pieces – bathtubs, washbasins, water closets, bidets, and urinals – and imagined them in a landscape that was in conversation with these forms and with some of the tendencies of Swans, like diving in and out of water and moving together in groups. The result is a multifaceted ‘Swan House’ resting in a glacial fjord landscape, an architectural object that creates interior and exterior spatial experiences occupied by different LAUFEN pieces. The images move across the landscape but also zoom in and out of the ‘Swan’ in a way that maintains this visual and formal connection between architecture, interiors, landscape, and LAUFEN. Embracing these dualities – landscape and house, Swan and fixture, above and below water – helped us to reconsider how we saw LAUFEN’s designs and to appreciate their beauty in new contexts.
Who are Plomb?
Plomb is a Netherlands-based professional visualization firm that provides rendering services for many of our projects. Their renderings convey visionary architectural and design ideas in a realistic and approachable way, allowing images to communicate the human-centered aspects of design that Snøhetta prioritizes.
We look forward to having you view the ILBAGNOALESSI collection with us at LAUFEN. If you can’t make it in to one of our spaces, you can view the collection online at laufen.com.