On 23 April the Swiss Award for Marketing + Architecture 2010 was bestowed on the Laufen Forum, exhibition and visitor centre of the Swiss bathroom specialist Laufen, for its exemplary implementation of corporate architecture.

Corporate architecture is a fledgling area of company architecture and focuses on the interaction of brand content and architecture.

The prize was awarded in the Lucerne Culture and Conference Centre (Switzerland) at the 2nd Marketing + Architecture award ceremony.

The Laufen Forum, planned by Basel architects, Nissen & Wentzlaff at the company headquarters in Laufen (canton of Baselland, Switzerland), won the prize in category A “Office and business blocks, industrial and commercial buildings”.

High quality corporate architecture
The Award for Marketing + Architecture annually acknowledges persons and companies who, in exemplary fashion, have planned and built properties in Switzerland based on the principles of high quality corporate architecture.

The distinguished jury awarded the prize to Laufen Forum for its clear reflection of Laufen’s corporate philosophy, brand and market presentation.

For, according to the organiser, identity defined by architecture is unique and creates an enduring competitive edge by helping to achieve positive public awareness.

Creative buildings and rooms with a high degree of authenticity inspire not only employees but customers and business associates as well.

The catalogue of criteria against which the Laufen Forum was assessed therefore includes not only technical but also emotional elements.

According to the jury, the prize winner displayed a substantial integration of the building into the context and a distinctive incorporation of the architecture into the corporate identity.

So, for instance, the quality of experience and the material, colour and light concepts, as well as the form of the building itself, convey the marketing message, linking into the brand and the company’s activities in the centre of decision-making.

And, not least, the jury were impressed by the uniqueness of the innovative building which subtly conveys the corporate and brand values and embodies the emphases of customer-centric marketing in a particularly cogent manner.

Unique and sophisticated
The building, completed in 2009, is both unique and sophisticated with regard to its architecture and building technology.

The virtually windowless concrete structure which, when viewed from above, recalls a well-known Laufen washbasin, is based on a design principle akin to that of bridge construction: the extensively projecting free-form structure is poised on a slope.

Based on the minimum energy standard, it requires minimum heating and no air conditioning at all. Natural light falls on the atrium thanks to roof skylights.

A traditional Swiss brand
The Laufen Forum is a hub for inspirational bathrooms where people can experience the traditional Swiss brand and its products.

It is an open platform for architects, building technology planners, wholesalers and tradesmen.

End customers are also welcome to visit and gain an insight into the world of contemporary and avant-garde bathroom design.

Source: Laufen