Peter Zumthor

Touching and intimate, Zumthor’s minor excursion into architecture via this short published lecture is really quite wonderful. Nine chapters, three appendices. That’s all it takes to be seduced by the scale, form, light, proximity, coherence and concepts of beauty endemic to the applied art of architecture. One should reenter the slender walls of this lecture whenever they need to be reenchanted by space, perhaps merely their own space, and be reminded of the transcendental quality of show more natural light, the interplay and relation of diverse materials on one another, the sound an area emits when it is divorced/abstracted from potential distractions or external corruption, or maybe just the interactions various people have had within that structure and the events so overflowing with meaning that they have brought into existence, events which have become a part of the overall environment, that have entered into the very stuff of things (a smearing of being on the diverse walls, objects and surfaces). Good shit. I’m not an architect. If you don’t mind I’ll have recourse to a medium as squalid as TV, I’ll quote Rust Cohle, ‘Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing.’ show less

It’s always a pleasure to listen to smart people talk. It’s an even greater pleasure to read them. Atmospheres is such a book by Peter Zumthor, containing the architect’s lecture on architecture and its intricate relationship with atmosphere. The book, despite being brief, is brimming with passion and ideas that will make you rethink architecture and space.

The first thing that struck me about this book was how easy and accessible it was. Zumthor’s lecture was to the point, used no show more jargon, and was easy to understand for people like me who are not into architecture. It inspires the reader, and the lucky listeners who were there, to take a look around themselves and take note of the spaces, buildings, surroundings, environment, light—everything—and how they figure into our existences.

Zumthor begins by addressing what exactly is quality architecture: “Quality architecture to me is when a building manages to move me… How do people design things with such a beautiful, natural presence, things that move me every single time.” I felt that was a strong introduction to his lecture and a good indicator of his thoughts. He then begins discussing the act of existing and first impressions, connecting them with architecture and our views towards it. His thesis is compelling and thought-provoking.

Another great point he makes is about the presence, or rather the absence, of sound in buildings and places. We subconsciously associate people and places with specific sounds. It is something that I’d never thought about before, and it got me thinking about the places I had been to and the places that I’d stayed in. Another brilliant point that he makes is the “art of seduction” in architecture. He talks about functionality of hospital corridors, where people are guided towards a specific direction. More importantly, however, he discusses letting people roam around freely. He deliberates over the “voyage of discovery” that architecture provides for those in buildings, letting them “stroll at will—just drifting along.”

He also has a lot to say about the juxtaposition between the interior and exterior. I can’t help but cite him on this:

“…the almost imperceptible transition between the inside and the outside, an incredible sense of place, an unbelievable feeling of concentration when we suddenly become aware of being enclosed, of something enveloping us, keeping us together, holding us—whether we be many or single… Architecture knows this and uses it.”

Finally, he moves on to surroundings and the impact of memory on the importance of a place. He carefully considers how memory is used to locate buildings and architecture in peoples’ minds. I thought it was a fascinating hypothesis, and I thought about my memories regarding old homes. I feel he makes a strong case, though I’d have to read more before I can make a reasonably educated conclusion.

The only problem I can find with the book is its format. Lectures don’t translate very well to writing. Sections of the book feel superfluous; it could do with tighter editing. Some of the pictures, though they look great, don’t seem to relate well with the text and can often be distracting.

So, what can I say: I loved Atmospheres. It has kindled in me love and respect for architecture and space that I didn’t have before. Zumthor raises some very good points. I guess this book is aimed towards architecture students and enthusiasts, but I feel this is something everyone should read if they want some perspective on space, sound, light, memories, and everything else that makes our surroundings what they are. show less

When I came across this book at a used bookstore in Chicago about fifteen years ago, its price was already pretty steep (I was trading in a bunch of books, something that enabled me to drop the out-of-pocket expense from three digits to two). Recently I've seen it go for as much as $2,000, but with the publication of a five-volume set on Zumthor last year, the demand for this 1997 title will most likely wane. As I've explored elsewhere, I find the high prices to be a reflection of various show more factors: Zumthor's mystique, his quality of architecture, the photographs of Hélène Binet, and the appealing simplicity of the large book's layout. The b/w photos do a great job of capturing the qualities of Zumthor's architecture, something I can say from experience, having finally visited the Therme Vals. Yet it would be great to have more color photographs, especially ones that are larger than the thumbnail-sized color shots in this book of big b/w photos. Still, the care put into the text, photos and, of course, the architecture makes this a wonderful monograph, though not quite worth the hundreds or thousands of dollars that some sellers ask for it. show less

When this small book, the transcript of a 2003 lecture by Zumthor, came out in 2006, it arrived at about the same time as a second edition of the hard-to-find Thinking Architecture. Even though anything by the Swiss architect will be seen as a companion to his other output (he puts out books as infrequently as his buildings), the timing of the release of these two books wed them together strongly, something reinforced by the design of each book and the fact both are based on lectures. show more Atmospheres is one lecture, so it can be seen to be more focused than Thinking Architecture, which is four lectures and one essay. But it can also be seen as more long-winded, and the editing of the lecture (or lack thereof, more appropriately) leans it to the latter. Zumthor basically has 12 answers to one question, a question he asked himself after seeing a photo by Hans Baumgartner: "Can I achieve an atmosphere like that?" His answers are personal and basically as spoken in the lecture. Although a book worth having for Zumthor fans, watching his lectures – and hearing the pauses, hiccups and other nuances evident in this transcription – is even more highly recommended. show less