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 Beauty
Every time I imagine a garden in an architectural setting, it turns into a magical place. I think of gardens I have seen, that I believe I have seen, that I long to see, surrounded by simple walls, columns, arcades or the facades of buildings - sheltered places of great intimacy where I want to stay for a long time. -Peter Zumthor Gardening
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 Space
If you look at the Earth without architecture, it's sometimes a little bit unpleasant. So there is this basic human need to do shelter in the broadest sense of the word, whether it's a movie theater or a simple log cabin in the mountains. This is the core of architecture: To provide a space for human beings. -Peter Zumthor Architecture
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 Space
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. -Peter Zumthor Age
I need a close contact to the client, whoever it is, and a commitment of the client to go out and do a process together. I want to do the best for him. I need his respect and his patience. I want to work with a sophisticated person who's interested in a good building and not in my name. -Peter Zumthor Patience
There is still a real need for good quality architecture, not paper architecture, but the real stuff. -Peter Zumthor Architecture
Architecture to me is whole. I cannot say I only care about this 25% and the other 75% I let go... it's just I want to work the way I want to work. In my shop, you can order certain things and other things you cannot. They are not available. -Peter Zumthor Architecture
I need a close contact to the client, whoever it is, and a commitment of the client to go out and do a process together. I want to do the best for him. I need his respect and his patience. I want to work with a sophisticated person who's interested in a good building and not in my name. -Peter Zumthor Respect
My buildings should have an emotional core - a space which, in itself, has an emotional nice feeling. -Peter Zumthor Space
Architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement. -Peter Zumthor Architecture
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 Money
Architecture is exposed to life. If its body is sensitive enough, it can assume a quality that bears witness to past life. -Peter Zumthor 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. -Peter Zumthor Chance
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 Architecture
My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer. They make me quiet; I like to be in their company. -Peter Zumthor Relationship
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 Architecture
In a society that celebrates the inessential, architecture can put up a resistance, counteract the waste of forms and meanings and speak its own language. -Peter Zumthor Architecture
If you look at the Earth without architecture, it's sometimes a little bit unpleasant. So there is this basic human need to do shelter in the broadest sense of the word, whether it's a movie theater or a simple log cabin in the mountains. This is the core of architecture: To provide a space for human beings. -Peter Zumthor Space
If you look at the Earth without architecture, it's sometimes a little bit unpleasant. So there is this basic human need to do shelter in the broadest sense of the word, whether it's a movie theater or a simple log cabin in the mountains. This is the core of architecture: To provide a space for human beings. -Peter Zumthor Space
