Zumthor pure genius eye

ZUMTHOR PURE GENIUS EYE

Described as a monk, apostle, shaman, mysthic and guru, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, is the designer of some of the most subtle and admired buildings of the last quarter century. His work is serene and intelligent. For him, the place and purpose of a building, as opposed to personal theories and architectural trends, dictate the details of design. The intuitively simple sensory details that he describes in his book, Thinking Architecture, is so clearly translated to his designs. He is known for his reservation, which has not limited his influence on the architectural practice, but perhaps allows him to step back and reflect on what he is doing and why he is doing it. Thinking beyond form and construction, Herr Zumthor´s approach to materiality and sensual details work in harmony to serve the common aesthetic desires, as well as go beyond all practical needs to compliment the human senses as one inhabits the spaces he designs. As an architect who choses his clients as much as the clients chose him, Herr Zumthor is known for thinking through his projects in long, almost meditative manner. He causes people to want to give their best. He makes it a unique situation to work with him."I like to develop the use of the buildingtogether with the client, in a process, so that as wegoalong we become more intelligent."Ke knows that he does things that all architects dream about, building only what he wants to.

Content: Bruder Klaus Field Chapel Kolomba Museum Therme Vals Kunsthaus Bregenz

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BRUDER KLAUS FIELD CHAPEL The Bruder Klaus Field Chapel by Peter Zumthor, completed in 2007, is known for its beautiful respect for the materials which were used to construct the sensuous space. The interior of the chapel is a black cavity left behind by 112 tree trunks burnt out of the cast concrete walls. Twenty-four layers of concrete were poured into a frame surrounding the trunks, stacked in a curved conical form, forming a stark contrast to the comparatively smooth angular façade. After removing the frame, many small holes were left behind in the walls, creating an effect reminiscent of the night sky. The chapel’s "beautiful silence" and undeniable connection to its surrounding landscape make it an evocative and popular destination for many.

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KOLOMBA MUSEUM The Kolomba Museum is situated in Cologne, Germany, a city that was almost completely destroyed in World War II, the museum houses the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s collection of art which spans more than a thousand years. Zumthor’s design delicately rises from the ruins of a late-Gothic church, respecting the site’s history and preserving its essence. ”They believe in the inner values of art, its ability to make us think and feel, its spiritual values. This project emerged from the inside out, and from the place,” explained Zumthor at the museum’s opening.

The facade of grey brick integrates the remnants of the church’s facade into a new face for the contemporary museum. Articulated with perforations, the brick work allows diffused light to fill specific spaces of the museum. As the seasons change, the”mottled light shifts and plays across the ruins,” creating a peaceful ever-changing environment.

The museum includes 16 different exhibition rooms and, at the heart of the building, a secret garden courtyard – a quiet and secluded place for reflection.

The materiality plays such an important role in the overall design, and Zumthor, known for taking his time to develop projects, searched quite awhile for the perfect material. Handcrafted by Petersen Tegl of Denmark, the bricks were specifically developed for this project, as they were fired with charcoal to imbue a warm hue.

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THERME VALS From the architect. Built over the only thermal springs in the Graubunden Canton in Switzerland, The Therme Vals is a hotel and spa in one which combines a complete sensory experience designed by Peter Zumthor.

Peter Zumthor designed the spa/baths which opened in 1996 to pre date the existing hotel complex. The idea was to create a form of cave or quarry like structure. Working with the natural surroundings the bath rooms lay below a grass roof structure half buried into the hillside. The Therme Vals is built from layer upon layer of locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs. This stone became the driving inspiration for the design, and is used with great dignity and respect.

“Mountain, stone, water – building in the stone, building with the stone, into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being inside the mountain – how can the implications and the sensuality of the association of these words be interpreted, architecturally?”

Peter Zumthor This space was designed for visitors to luxuriate and rediscover the ancient benefits of bathing. The combinations of light and shade, open and enclosed spaces and linear elements make for a highly sensuous and restorative experience. The underlying informal layout of the internal space is a carefully modelled path of circulation which leads bathers to certain predetermined points but lets them explore other areas for themselves. The perspective is always controlled. It either ensures or denies a view.

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KUNSTHAUS BREGENZ From the architect. A year after the completion of Therme Vals , renowned minimalist architect, Peter Zumthor completed the design of Kunsthaus Bregenz . The Kunsthaus museum in Bregenz, Austria is always in a constant state of flux always changing its exhibition spaces to accommodate international contemporary art. Zumthor’s minimalist design adapts its spaces to the art that is showcased in its exhibits creating a coexisting and redefining relationship between art and architecture.

The Kunsthaus Bregenz has two main principles to their permanent collection: archives of art architecture and a collection of Contemporary art, which complements the changing exhibition spaces. The museum strives to be the intersection of art and architecture that opens itself to culture and international influence.

"The art museum stands in the light of Lake Constance. It is made of glass and steel and a cast concrete stone mass which endows the interior of the building with texture and spatial composition. From the outside, the building looks like a lamp. It absorbs the changing light of the sky, the haze of the lake, it reflects light and colour and gives an intimation of its inner life according to the angle of vision, the daylight and the weather." - Peter Zumthor

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Resources: http://www.archdaily.com/search/all?q=Peter+Zumthor http://www.archdaily.com/364856/happy-70th-birthday-peter-zumthor

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