20 Peter Zumthor Quotes for You to Enjoy

Peter Zumthor

Swiss Architect

Born: Apr 26, 1943

Architecture Building Buildings Me Work You

Related authors: Antoni Gaudi Frank Gehry Frank Lloyd Wright Louis Kahn Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Maya Lin Walter Gropius Zaha Hadid

My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer. They make me quiet; I like to be in their company. Peter Zumthor

Me Relationship Plants Like Make Becomes Quiet Closer Company

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

Time Great Gardening Garden Simple Walls Long Seen Long Time Believe Every Think Setting Every Time Intimacy Stay See Magical Architectural Columns Buildings Sheltered Surrounded Where Want Place Places Turns Gardens Imagine

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

Beautiful You Heart Matter Fire Feeling Research Design Earth Intimate Distorted Inside About Feel Like Concentration Go Intense Intensive Want Place Warm Really Your Deep Actually Designing

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

Life Good Age Building Think Must Small Absorb Taking Traces Edges Polished Am Materials Dull Human Capable Convinced Human Life Use Richness Grown Specific

The first 10 years of my professional life had only to do with running away from my father. He was a wonderful cabinet-maker, and me being the eldest son, I had to take over his shop, his profession and so on and so on. I tried to escape by going to art school and then going on to industrial design and then interior design. Peter Zumthor

Life Art Me Son Wonderful Interior School Father First Design Running Tried Running Away Only Take Had He Over Industrial His Years Art School Escape Shop Going Being Eldest Then Profession Professional Professional Life Away

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

You Building Energy Skin Cold Other Way Solid Steal Hot Glass Feel Feels Veneer House Around Concrete Timber Effect Than Same Heat Wood Certain Body Your Your Body Certain Way Cooler

I design for the use of a building and the place and for the people who use it... the reputation for arrogance comes because when work is offered to me, I look whether I can find a genuine interest in quality. Peter Zumthor

Work Me Quality People Arrogance Building Reputation Design Find Look For The People Because Genuine Offered Whether Place Interest Use Who

I'm not mainly interested in what buildings mean as symbols or vehicles for ideas. Peter Zumthor

Mainly Vehicles Ideas Buildings Interested Mean Symbols

Architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement. Peter Zumthor

Architecture World Statement Makes Concrete Exists Where Place

I work anywhere between three and 10 years on a project, depending on the size. My lifetime is finite. Therefore, I have to look carefully at how many projects I want to put into my lifetime. Peter Zumthor

Work Three Carefully Project Projects Finite Lifetime Put Between Look How Years Depending Size Want Anywhere Many Therefore

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

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

Work Best Good Patience Respect Together Commitment Building Out Contact Name Sophisticated Him Client Go His Close Person Want Process Interested Whoever Need

My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for aesthetic reasons. Peter Zumthor

First About Buildings Aesthetic Were Reasons Rejected

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

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