Nissen & Wentzlaff Architekten

Description

The Laufen Forum is located on the factory grounds of Keramik Laufen AG, right next door to the head office. The primary function of the building is to exhibit the products that Keramik Laufen makes for bathrooms. In future, the premises will also be used for public events, product presentations and informal meetings. The two-storey building has been conceived as a smooth, monolithic organic form extending beyond the existing sloping edge. Its monolithic appearance, as if cast “from a single mould” reflects the manufacturing process of Keramik products. Visitors are guided through the exhibition on a concentric route with no intersections; two open-plan, curving staircases running in opposite directions link the ground floor with the upper floor, which has been designed as a gallery with niches for exhibits and bathtubs. Daylight enters the centrally arranged atrium via circular skylights. The individual exhibition niches are illuminated with artificial light – with each arrangement suited to the specific features of the product.