Product Description

In order to design a building with a sensuous connection to life, one must think in a way that goes far beyond form and construction. In these essays Peter Zumthor expresses his motivation in designing buildings, which speak to our emotions and understanding in so many ways, and possess a powerful and unmistakable presence and personality.

This book, whose first edition has been out of print for years, has been expanded to include three new essays: "Does Beauty Have a Form?,” "The Magic of the Real,” and "Light in the Landscape.” It has been freshly illustrated throughout with new color photographs of Zumthor’s new home and studio in Haldenstein, taken specially for this edition by Laura Padgett, and received a new typography by Hannele Grönlund. 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27290 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9783764374976
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Language Notes
Text: German

About the Author

Peter Zumthor, *1943, gehört international zu den renommiertesten Schweizer Architekten. In Haldenstein bei Chur führt er eine kleine Architekturmanufaktur mit wenigen Mitarbeitern. Sein Bestreben ist es, Architektur sinnlich erlebbar zu machen. Zu seinen bekanntesten Bauten zählen u.a: Therme Vals, 1996; Kunsthaus Bregenz, 1997; Kunstmuseum Kolumba, Köln 2007.

Customer Reviews

clear thinker and builder
Reading this book was like reading a long-lost secret manual of
"How to become a 21 century Samurai..." I guess that sense of delusion rises because the content and the tone of book has this (quasi) idea of medieval perfection achieved through a repetition of hands-on practice. "I do not work towards architecture from a theoretically defined point of departure, for I am committed to making architecture,," writes Zumthor.

Moreover, a reader, at the back of her/his head, has those powerful images of Bath House in Vaals (tour de force of phenomenological experience) that intensifies the delusion. One would think, 'Zumthor must be a man from Mars to build architecture like that' and 'his writings must be a strong sleeping pill.' Usual Suspect !

He writes extremely clear with extremely simple terms. This slim book tells us how an architect of such originality thinks and experiences daily life. It's a great pleasure to find out what kind of music (Mozart's piano concertos) zumthor listens; what kind of artists (Beuys and Merz) he likes; what kind of film he watches (Ettore Scola's film Le Bal); what kind of books (Calvino) he reads; and what kind of sayings ("the hard core beauty") in the radio show captivates him. A former cabinet maker, his book is carefully jointed, just like his buildings. Anyone who found this book fun/inspiring to read should also try Alvaro Siza's "Writings on Architecture"

Highly recommended
A thoroughly engaging book about meaningful architecture - it now holds a very special place in my architecture library, right next to Michael Benedikt's For An Architecture of Reality.
Excellent for anyone interested in Peter Zumthor's work.

Stop reading reviews and start reading this book.
Zumthor is incredibly talented... there is quite some difficulty in not only creating simple, beautiful, natural and intentional architecture, but also something even more difficult in relating it verbally. Thinking Architecture does an amazing job at that. This is a book you could return to every few months, and it will re-awaken your senses to the architectural world around you, as well as your memories and experiences with those environments. Zumthor truly does give an excellent source of thoughts and events in this book. Extremely recommended, "Atmospheres" as well!