Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthoris a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal...
NationalitySwiss
ProfessionArchitect
Date of Birth26 April 1943
CountrySwitzerland
thinking chance architecture
I think the chance of finding beauty is higher if you don't work on it directly. Beauty in architecture is driven by practicality. This is what you learn from studying the old townscapes of the Swiss farmers.
thinking architecture
There was a time when I experienced architecture without thinking about it,
thinking age scratches
I am convinced that a good building must be capable of absorbing the traces of human life and taking on a specific richness... I think of the patina of age on materials, of innumerable small scratches on surfaces, of varnish that has grown dull and brittle, and of edges polished by use.
sleep thinking silence
Architecture has its own realm. It has a special physical relationship with life. I do not think of it primarily as either a message or symbol, but as an envelope and background for life which goes on in and around it, a sensitive container for the rhythm of footsteps on the floor, for the concentration of work, for the silence of sleep.
passion thinking creating
I think space, architectural space, is my thing. It's not about facade, elevation, making image, making money. My passion is creating space.
thinking order design
In order to design buildings with a sensuous connection to life, one must think in a way that goes far beyond form and construction.
anywhere carefully depending projects work
I work anywhere between three and 10 years on a project, depending on the size. My lifetime is finite. Therefore, I have to look carefully at how many projects I want to put into my lifetime.
asks bought build calls four home money pay three vacation work
I can't be bought with money. If someone calls me and asks me to work for them for three or four years, and they'll pay me well to build their vacation home, I ask myself why I should work three or four years on something like that.
rejected
My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for aesthetic reasons.
cruel history men seems wars women
If I look at history, it seems that most wars and most cruel things have been done by men and not by women.
architecture believe bit building work
I work a little bit like a sculptor. When I start, my first idea for a building is with the material. I believe architecture is about that. It's not about paper, it's not about forms. It's about space and material.
architecture
Architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement.
buildings core
My buildings should have an emotional core - a space which, in itself, has an emotional nice feeling.
built near
I've built two wooden houses near Vals. I built them for my wife. Those were private projects.