LAUFEN Forum reimagined by Snøhetta

The Norwegian transdisciplinary studio Snøhetta has redesigned the LAUFEN Forum located in Laufen near Basel, introducing a new brand experience for visitors to our Swiss headquarters. The official opening was on Wednesday, 12 June 2024.

Both LAUFEN and Snøhetta are united by their common commitment to resource-saving and long-lasting solutions in architecture and design. Our commissioning of the redesign of the LAUFEN Forum to an architectural firm which has placed sustainability in architecture, and a sensitive approach to landscape and resources at the centre of its work since its foundation, was a conscious decision. The careful handling of raw materials in production and the efficient use of water in our bathroom products formed a common foundation for the project.

Clay and brass, essential materials for ceramics and fittings, prominently feature in the entrance area of the new LAUFEN Forum. A wall and reception desk made of rammed earth and flanked by an imposing brass wall provide a sensory experience upon entering. These materials, with their tactile qualities, symbolize the project’s focus on the interplay of raw materials, technical know-how, and product aesthetics. The contrast between archaic originality and innovative sophistication are the basis of the concept for the new brand presentation, which we developed together with Snøhetta. This joint multidisciplinary project was not just about architecture, but also about a new way of communicating and understanding our brand universe. 

“It was important to us that the core of the LAUFEN brand was the focus in the newly designed LAUFEN Forum. The essence of LAUFEN is represented by the tension between materiality, design and technical perfection,” states Patrick Lüth, managing director of Snøhetta Studio in Innsbruck. 

Matter, interpreted as both material and meaningful significance, is central to the LAUFEN brand experience, elegantly embodied in the various spaces of the LAUFEN Forum. Visitors are welcomed in the Greeting Space, where the defining materials of clay and brass highlight our brand heritage. Progressing into the Matter Space, an event and discussion venue, they encounter a refined expression of Matter as both physical substance and thematic focus, enriching the experience within the Forum. 

A light terrazzo floor, colour-coordinated with the exposed concrete of the curved, two-storey building, provides a neutral backdrop for curated product displays designed with natural clay plasters and paints. In these niches, visitors can experience the tactile qualities of our bathroom products, from washbasins and toilets to matching furniture, faucets, bathtubs, shower trays and accessories. Each bathroom collection is presented with signature colours.

The product display on the upper floor is a little more playful where our products can be found on industrial shelves. Visitors can arrange and combine products from various collections on movable racks, allowing for interactive exploration and testing of product combinations. This hands-on exhibition provides new opportunities to understand and experience the bathroom living space. The bright terrazzo and exposed concrete create an industrial yet welcoming ambiance for this setting.

A digital space complements the analogue brand world, allowing visitors to digitally explore and immerse themselves in the LAUFEN universe. 

This new brand experience extends beyond the Forum, influencing the LAUFEN space Vienna and the exhibition stand presented at Salone del Mobile 2024.

“To truly connect with cultural life and remain relevant, a brand must go beyond traditional communication. LAUFEN’s expertise in ceramics and fittings is constantly evolving through collaborations with architects and designers.” Roger Furrer, LAUFEN Brand Director.

The LAUFEN Forum, opened in 2009, is an architectural brand statement. It serves as a dedicated space for the bathroom industry, offering inspiration and information for architects, designers, business partners, and installers. This impressive 6,500 cubic metre building on Wahlenstrasse, Laufen, Switzerland, features a two-story, multifunctional space almost entirely constructed of exposed concrete. Designed by the Basel architectural firm Nissen & Wentzlaff, the building’s exterior, when viewed from above, resembles a well-known LAUFEN ceramic washbasin and, symbolically, was cast in one piece, mirroring its ceramic counterpart.

Since 1892 the Swiss manufacturer LAUFEN has been enabling bathroom experiences for the body and soul. The company offers a holistic bathroom culture focussing on sustainability, excellent design, innovation and technological leadership coming from a long tradition of high-quality craftsmanship. With its vision of the bathroom as a living environment, everything at LAUFEN, from the ceramic fixtures and faucets to the bathtubs, furniture, mirrors, accessories, and even the installation systems and hidden features, is innovative, heart-warming and radiates a unique aesthetic appeal. The LAUFEN head office is located in Laufen, a city near Basel and owns six production sites in central Europe.

For 35 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape, interior, product, graphic, digital design and art across its projects. The collaborative nature between Snøhetta’s different disciplines is an essential driving force of the practice.