Normally, architects render a service. They implement what other people want. This is not what I do. I like to develop the use of the building together with the client, in a process, so that as we go along we become more intelligent. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
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. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
I think space, architectural space, is my thing. It’s not about facade, elevation, making image, making money. My passion is creating space. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
Designing is a matter of concentration. You go deep into what you want to do. It’s about intensive research, really. The concentration is warm and intimate and like the fire inside the earth – intense but not distorted. You can go to a place, really feel it in your heart. It’s actually a beautiful feeling. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
Architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
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. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
If you’re lucky, and a building succeeds, the real product has many more dimensions than you can ever imagine. You have the sun, the light, the rain, the birds, the feel. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
You feel a certain way in a glass or concrete or limestone building. It has an effect on your skin – the same with plywood or veneer, or solid timber. Wood doesn’t steal energy from your body the way glass and concrete steal heat. When it’s hot, a wood house feels cooler than a concrete one, and when it’s cold, the other way around. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
What I try to do is the art of building, and the art of building is the art of construction; it is not only about forms and shapes and images. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
Architecture is exposed to life. If its body is sensitive enough, it can assume a quality that bears witness to past life. Peter Zumthor Read Quote
