Peter Zumthor is many things- the son of a cabinet maker, a Pritzker prize laureate and a minimalist. There is certainly more to him than what meets the eye, similar to his projects. Peter Zumthor?s architecture is perhaps the best example of light as an architectural concept, especially in contemporary times. Read on to get an idea of the legacy left behind by this architect, who seems as calm and reserved as his projects.

Who is Peter Zumthor?

Born to a Swiss cabinet maker Oscar Zumthor on April 26 1943 and started practicing as a cabinet maker under his father, Zumthor furthered his education up to interior architecture and design at the Basel School of Applied Arts and architecture and industrial design at the Pratt Institute in New York.

He was then employed for ten years in the monument preservation office in Chur, Canton of the Graub?nden in Switzerland before advocating for historical buildings in the Alpine side valleys like Val Lumnezia. He studied architecture at the Federal PolytechnSchool in Zurich before starting his professional career in 1978; he founded the Graub?nden local group of the Swiss Werkbund together with Rudolf Fontana. In 1979, he started his architecture, office in Haldenstein and in 2008 he partnered with Rainer Weitschies until 2018. He went independent once again after Weitschies left. Best known Peter Zumthor buildings comprise the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (1997), the Vals, Switzerland (1999), the Kolumba Diocesan Museum, Cologne (2007) and the Swiss Sound Box for the Swiss Pavilion Expo 2000.

Zumthor runs a rather small studio in Haldenstein, Switzerland, where he employs around 30 people.

Awards and Recognitions

• 1994: He was elected to the Berlin Academy of Arts.
• 1996: He was granted honorary membership in the Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA).
• 1998: Carlsberg Architectural Prize (for Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria and Thermal Baths, Switzerland)
• 1999: European Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award
• 2008: Praemium Imperiale
• 2009: ?Pritzker Architecture Prize (2009).
• 2012: RIBA Royal Gold Medal.

Design philosophy and Architectural Style

Zumthor gives importance to details and economics of construction together with understanding the materials to be used. Due to his use of muted colours and focus on the faculty of touch, he has been a prominent figure in this field. Peter Zumthor?s designs originated from the principles stating that a building should convey a sense of place, stimulate one or more of the five senses, and call out for an emotive experience. He dismisses the idea of architecture as just a product and thus calls for designing envelopes that have a transformative impact on the occupants. Zumthor?s works are minimalistic and conventional and they respect a context they exist in.

Peter Zumthor?s philosophy can also be termed ?Critical Regionalism? which is in harmony with his thinking about architectural design since he thinks that it is possible to create constructions that can be related to certain cultures, history, and climates and respond to the general principles of architecture at the same time. Even though the sources of inspiration for Peter Zumthor?s architectural works are rooted in specific regional contexts, they nevertheless are established beyond location and time and include timeless settings. His genius can best be defined in terms of making buildings that affect the senses, touch the heart, and tie them to their environment. Through his creations and designs, his life is a testament to the next generation of architects to see the purpose of architecture and to come up with positive spaces that touch the soul of man.

Best of Peter Zumthor?s Projects

Kunsthaus Bregenz (1997)

Kunsthaus Bregenz, a museum in Germany, combines art architecture with contemporary art, aiming to be the intersection of the two. The museum, designed by Peter Zumthor, is a minimalist structure that absorbs, reflects, and filters light across its fa?ade and gallery spaces. The glass fa?ade glows as it is illuminated by sunlight, creating a dynamic environment. The interior, composed of polished concrete walls and a frosted glass ceiling, creates a stark, cold feeling that accommodates the art. The building’s structure is minimalist and reductive, with only three walls supporting the museum and its floor plates. The combination of diffused natural light and a neutral material palette creates a contemporary art museum whose art and architecture do not overshadow each other.

Vals, Switzerland (1999)

Peter Zumthor designed Therme Vals, a hotel and spa in Switzerland, over the only thermal springs in the Graubunden Canton. The current hotel complex was not built when the spa/baths opened in 1996. The design focuses on creating a cave or quarry-like structure, using locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs as the driving inspiration. The space combines light and shade, open and enclosed spaces, and linear elements for a sensual and restorative experience. All of it is connected by the meander, a deliberately created negative space between blocks that provides a calming rhythm. The architects consciously incorporated elements from the natural surroundings, such as the mystic qualities of the mountain, darkness and light, and the unique acoustics of the water.

Kolumba Diocesan Museum (2007)

Cologne, Germany, is home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s collection of art, which was almost destroyed during World War II. The museum rises from the ruins of a late Gothic cathedral, honouring the site’s past and retaining its core, thus becoming a perfect example of Peter Zumthor style. The museum uses grey brick to unite the destroyed fragments of the site, including the remaining Gothic church, Roman and medieval stone ruins, and Gottfried B?hm’s 1950 chapel for the “Madonna of the Ruins.” A calm atmosphere is produced by the grey brick facade, which lets diffused light into some areas. The museum includes 16 exhibition rooms and a secret garden courtyard. The bricks, handcrafted by Petersen Tegl of Denmark, were fired with charcoal to imbue a warm hue.

Swiss Sound Box – Swiss Pavilion Expo 2000

With the concept of “Man, Nature and Technology” in mind, the Swiss Sound Box, the country’s exhibit at Expo 2000, was meant to represent sustainability. The structure features 118 individual stacks held together with post-tensioning cables and linking planks between four walls, ensuring modularity without glue or nails. The structure functions as an acoustic space, creating harmony between multiple music performances without dissonance. The basket-weave plan and walls of transversely stacked timbers and planks are a testament to the idea of entanglement, relying on technical and conceptual parameters that cyclically follow each other. The structure was dissembled and recycled after the Expo, continuing the theme after the pavilion lost its function as an attraction.

In summary

Peter Zumthor had a unique approach to his buildings that set him apart, ultimately leading to him receiving the Pritzker. His thoughtful process can be seen especially in his buildings stated above.

Which is your favourite building by Peter Zumthor?

Sources

• https://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/2009#laureate-page-327
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zumthor
• https://www.stirworld.com/think-opinions-experiencing-the-architecture-of-pritzker-laureate-peter-zumthor
• https://illustrarch.com/articles/16628-unveiling-the-design-secrets-of-peter-zumhtor.html
• https://www.archdaily.com/107500/ad-classics-kunsthaus-bregenz-peter-zumthor
• https://www.archdaily.com/798360/peter-zumthors-therme-vals-through-the-lens-of-fernando-guerra
• https://www.archdaily.com/72192/kolumba-musuem-peter-zumthor
• https://arch303fall2015.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/assignment-1-ovgu-and-muye.pdf