llruilm

* d rllel:*llFi
ir.r+nE
Peter Zumthor
Thinking Architecture
Second, expanded edition
Blrl<hdu s er-Pu bllsh ers fo r Arch iteccu re
Basel
.
Boston. Berlln
AWay of Looking atThings
The Hard Core of Beauty
From a Passion forThings to theThingsThemselves
The Body of Architecture
Teaching Architecture, Learning Architeciure
Does Beauty Have a Form?
The 14agic of the Real
The Light in the Landscape
53
7l
65
83
89
A Way of Looking atThings
ln search ofthe lost architecture
when I thin< about architecture, images come nto my mind. l"1any of
these images are connected wlth my training and work as trn architect.
They contain the professlona l<nowledge about architecture that I have
gathered over the years. Some ofthe other images haye to do with my
chlldhood-There was a t me when I experienced architecture withour
.hinl(ing about it. Sometimes I can almost feel a particuLar door hand e
in my hand, a piece of metal shaped like rhe bacl< of a spoon.
I used to tal(e hold of r when I went into my aunt's garden.That door
hand e sti seems to me lil(e a special sign of entry into a world of dif-
fcrent moods and snrells. I remember the sound of the grave under
rny feet, lhe soft
sleam
o{ the waxed on< staircase,I can hear the heavy
n ont door closing beh nd me as I wa l< along the dark corridor and en-
tcr the
(itchen.
che only really brightly lit room n the house.
Look ng back, it seems as ifthis was the only room in the house in which
thc cciling d d noc d sappear inro twilighqthe small hexagonal tiles of
rl,c {loorrdark red afd firted so tighdy togetherthat the cmcks between
rhcm wcre almost mperceptiblc, were hard and uny elding under my
l, ct. irnd ir smell ofoi piint issucd from dre kitchen cupboard.
Ivcrytlring iborL th s kitchon wrs typicr of r L,;rditionil <irchen.There
w rr no(liin! spc. il rboul r lir(
tn,rli.rt^
I wrs
ir
st the fact that ll wns
r() v(,ry fnrc[,50 vcr y mrrr,rlly ,r krll lr,1r .rr h,rs r]rpr intcd i$ memo
yrrlr blyori riy nrri,l llr, .'llf,,\,1!,t,'l rli,
(r,,,,i\irrsoLrrby
lfkcd
with my idea ol a <itchen. Now I feel lke golng on and cal<ing about
the door handLes that came after the hard e on my aunCs garden gate,
about the ground and the tloors,about the soft asphalt warmed by the
sun, about the flagsrones covered with chestnut eaves in the autumn,
and about all the doors that c osed in such different ways, one rep ete
and dignlfied, anolher wi!h a thin, cheap c atcer, others hard, imp acn-
b e, and intimidating ...
lYemor es like !hese contaln the deepest architectuml experience that
I krrowThey are the reservoirs of the architecrura almospheres and
images tha! I explore in my work as an architect.
When I design a building,l frequenrLy find myself sinl<ing into old, half-
forgotten memories, and then I try to recollect what the remembered
architectural situation was really like, what it had meant to me at the
time,and I try to think how it cou d help me now ro revive that vibrant
armosphere perv:ded bythe simpLe presence ofthlngs,in which every-
thing had lts own specific place and form.And a rhough I cannot trace
any special forms,there is a h nt of fullness and of richness that makes
me think:this have seen before.Ye!,at the same rime,I know that i! is
a I new and dlfferent. and that there is no direct reference to a former
work of architectlre which migh! divulge the secret of the memory-
Made of materials
To me, there is someching reveal ng abouc che work of joseph Beuys
:rnd sorne ot drc i 16Ls of the Artc Povcra group.Whrt lnpresscs me
is rhc prc.isc irid scfsuous wiy d)cy rsc )ritcrii s.lL sccf)s rnclrorcd
ir irr rx , nr., oruriLl()owlc.lgc iboLr rnns Lrso offDr.rlr s,irrlir
'Flt
.i "*
r-
.fr-q+Ftr.,,
,-d,{S {: ,-
the same time to expose the very essence of these materials, which is
beyond all cu turally conveyed meaning.
I try to use materials like this ln rny worl(.I believe thatthey can assume
a poetic q!allty in the context of an architectur: objecr, a rhough only
ifthe archltect is able to generate a meaning{ul situatlon for them,since
rnaterials in themselves are not poetic.
The sense that I try ro instlll into mater als is beyond alL rlles of com-
position, and their mngbility, smell, and acoustic qualities are merely
elemen.s of the language rhat we are obliged to use. Sense emerges
when succeed in bringinS out the speci{ic meanings of certain materi
als in my buildlngs, meanings that can only be perceived in
iust
this way
in thls one bu lding.
lf we worl< rowards thls goal, we must constandy asl( olrselves what
the use of a particu ar material could mean ln a specific architectural
context.Good answers to these questlons can throw new light on both
the way in which the material ls generally used and its own inherent
sensuous qualities.
lf lve succeed in this, materlak in architecture can be made to shine
Worl( within things
It is said that one of the mos! imprcssive th n8s abolr che music of
lohann
Sebastian Bach is its"architeclLrrel hs consrru.tion seems clear
and transparent. lt is possible ro pursue the decails of $e modic,
h.rmonic, .nd rhyrhmicil e cmcfts withoLrt los fg tlrc fccling for the
conrposir or rs r who c thc wlt c rt nrikcs sc|sc of drc dclriLs
Thc rnrstr s(Dr\ r() lr l).rso.l Lrporrr.lcr, !
(r{r(rr',irr(l
f wcrrrcc
the individua threads of the musical fabfic, t is possible to apprehend
rhe rules rhrt
Bo!ern
the s|u.trre o[ the nL5r(
Construccion is the art of ma<ing a meaningfu wholeoutofmanyparts.
Buidings are witnesses to th e human abilityto consrruct con c rete th ings.
I believe tha! lhe real core of all architectural work lies in the act of
construction.At the point in tlrne when concrete materla s are assem-
bled and erected, the architecru.e we have been looking for be.omes
part of the real world.
lfeel respecrfor the art ofjo ning,the abilty ofcftsmen and engineers.
I am impressed by the knowledge of how to ma<e thlnSs, which ies at
the bottom of human sl(ill.I try to design buiLdings that are worthy of
$ls knowledge and merlt the challenge to this skil.
Pcople often say a lot of wor< went into this ' when they sense the
care and skil that its maker has aylshed on a carefu ly constructed ob-
iecr.The
notlon that our work is an integml part ofwhat we accomplish
Lr(es us to the very limits of our muslngs abolt the value of a work of
irr, n work of architecture. Are the eftort and sl(il we put into them
rcilly inherent parts of the things we make? Somellmes, v/hen I am
nroved by a work of architecturc in the same way as I am moved by
,,rusic, terature, or a painting, i am cempted co think so.
For the silence of sleep
{rvc uLrsic.The s ow nrovemcnts of l"lozi ts piifo conccrros,lohn
'l',,,'
. b..r..d\ o,,lc u',,'r Jtl' 1" ,\r' ,"ii,n org
lli(, lirfrinrbliryro rivLrir rii(,rl(.,, ir J | , r r ,
, ..
, , r , i
'
I r ry |s inrirzcs
But the wor d of sound also embmces the opposite of me ody, harmo-
ny, and rhythm.There is disharmony and broken rhyth m, fragments and
clusters of soLrnd,and there ls also the purely functionn sound thar we
cal noise. Contemporary music works with these elements.
Contmporary archkecrure should be just as radical as contempo-
mry music. But there are limits.Although awork ofarchilecture based
on disharmony and fragmentation, on bro<en rhythms, clusterlng and
so!ct!rn disruptions may be able to convey a message, as soon as we
underscand its statement our curiosity dies, and a that k le{t ls the
question of the building's practical use{ulness.
Architeclure has its own realm.lt has a special physical relarionship with
ife. I do not think of it primarily as either a message or a symbol, but
as an envelope and backSround for life which goes on in and arolnd t,
'o| the
.l
/!hn
o'foorsleps o'r rhe floor.
ror
le
c/rcentratlon or woa<.ror the silence of s eep.
,/'Preliminary
promises
ln its fnal, constructed form, architectlre has its pace in the con-
crete wor d.This is where it exists.This is where ir makes its statement.
Portrayals ofas yet unrealized architecturalwor<s represent an atrempt
to give a voice ro something, which has not yet found its place in rhe
concrete world for which lt is meant.
Architectlra drawings rry !o express as accuratey as possibl the
aura of the btrilding in its lftendcd p ace.
gut
precisely the effort of
rhe portrayal oftef serves ro undedine the ibserrce of rhc rctur ob
iecr,:r'id
whi. rhcf cfrcrges s .f rwircncss of ihc ini.lcqrlircy of iny
<incl ot portr,ry,rl. r Lr|os ty .rlnn,r I r rc,r ry I
t,
r, i !r!. I !l
t{.r
hipr
if the promise has the p a longing for its
Presence.
lf .he naturalism and graph c virtuosity of architectura
Porcraya
s are
too great, if they acl( "oPen
Patches"
where our imaginarion and curl-
osity aboutthe reality ofthe draw ng can penetrate the image, rhe
Por
trayal itselfbecomes the object ofour desire,and our longingfor lts re-
a iry vvanes because there ls litt e or nothing in the representat on that
I
-polnts
to the intended reality beyond ir.The portraya no longer holds
I
a promise. t refers only to itsell
Design drawings thar refer to a reality which stil les in the future are
imporrant in nry worl( I continue worklng on my drawinSs untll they
r.rch the delicace point of reprcsentatlon when the
Prevailing
mood
see( emerges, and I stoP before inessentials start detracting from
jts
mpact.The drawing icself must take on the quality ofthe sought-for ob-
lcct.lt
s like a s<etch by a scu ptor for his sculPture, no. merely an i-
luscmrion of an idea but an lnnate part ofthe work of creation.which
cnds w th the constructed obiect.
These sort of drawings enab e us to step back,to ook, and to learn to
understand that wh ch has not yet come ln!o belrg and which has
jusr
smrced ro emer8e.
Chinks in sealed objects
Bui d rgs :rre arlific a constr ucrions.They consist of single
Pafts
which
nNst be
ioined
togcdrciTo a lirge dcgrcc, the qu:r icy of the fnished
.Lt ,, \ anr- , ,,' ,l ry .
I,r.,rr,/
J . o,.\
ln sc!lptLrrc, drcrc s r trrrlir rrr r[irrrrrrrii/c!rlrc!]tPrcssionofrhc
l(,1irs
ifd
ioins
bcrw.r,, rlx \|r)t(
trirr!
Ur lrv(n
(,f
rhc ovor fornr
lr
(lrir.l
Sc,i.,\ !ro(, ol1r', r'.1,,r, r r,,,, l,' il.
l,
I r" lr),,,,)lt(,,(rr\ irr(l
.*,$'t' "
..''l
integralas the stone and wood sculptures ofolder sculpturaltraditions.
l'lany ofthe installations and objects by artisrs of the 1960s and 70s re
ly on the simplestand mostobvious methods ofjoiningand connectinS
.hatwe l(now
geuys,
14 erz, and others often used loose settings in spac-
cs. coils,folds, and layers when deve op ng a whole from rhe individual
p.r$.The direct,seemingy self-evident way in which these objects are
fur
logether is !nteresting.There is no interruption of the overall im-
prcssion by small parts th:t have nothing to do wlth the object! state-
,iient. Our perception of the whole is not distracted by inessential de-
riils. Evcry touch, every join, every
joint is there in order to reinforce
l lic idea of the quiet presence of the worl(.
Whcn I design buildinSs,I try to give them this kind of presence. How-
|vqt un lke rhe sculptor, I have to start with functional and technical re-
,tL, rcmenrs rhat represent the fundamentn tasl( I have to fulfill.Archi'
r, rrurc is always faced with the challenge of developing n whole out of
,i,i,,nrerib e details,out ofvarious functions nnd forms, materials and di-
,ir( nsiofs.The architect must ook for rational consrructions and forms
1,,,
(,(lgcs
and joints,for Lhe points where suffaces intersect and differ-
, rrr rrrrrcrirls meet.These formal deta ls derermine the sensitive tran-
.,r, ),i\ within che lirrger proportions of the building.The detai s estab-
,1, rlic lornril rhytlrr, the blr ldings f nely fracrionared sca e.
I ), r r l\ cxprcs, wha! dre b.sic idei of ihc dcsiSn requires i! lhe re -
, v.,,ir
lr)int
ir nrc obiccrrbclon8ins or scpilrirtiof. cension or lightness,
, , r,,ni, r) .lrry, fr';rl,iliry
l),r,,1. wlidr rlxy ir'1[,m\\1,,1.,ri,]ii,r ,ji{,,(
(l{,.orrrion
Thcy do
'i
! ,lrr'r((
()r
i,r({,r(.rrr l1r,y 11,.r,1 t,, ,,r,ixl,,\r,,ri.1in}t of rlrc wlrdc
,,r wlu,lr rlr{,y.rt,r,r fl,,t'ft
1,.rtr
.*,r;*S&i .;;''
There is a mag ca power in every completed, self-contained creat on.
It is as if we slccumb to the rnagic of the fully deve oped architectural
body. O!r attention is calght, perhaps for the first time,by a dettrl such
as two nais ln the floorthat hold the steelplntes bythe worn-out door
step. Emotlons well up. Something moves us.
Beyond the symbols
''Anything goesl' say the doers. l'1aln Street ls almost a rightl' says
Venruri,rhe architect. Nothing works any morc,' say those who sufiei
from the hosti ty of our day and age.These statements stand for con-
rradiclory opinions, if not for contradictory frcts.We get !sed to iv
ing with contradictions and rhere are several reason for this:tradltions
crumble, and with chem cu tu.al ideftities. No one seems rer ly to un'
dersrand and control the dynamics developed by economlcs and po i-
tics. Ever),thing merges
jnto
eve.ything e se, and mass commun cat on
creales an artificial world of signs.Arbitmr ness prevails.
Postmodern ife cou d be described as a srate in which everything be-
yond our own personal biography seerns vague, blurred, and somehow
unrea.The world is full of signs and info rmarion, which stand for th ngs
that no one fully Lrnderstands becalse they, too. turn out to be mere
slgns for other rh ngs.Yet the rea thing remains hiddef.No one ever
gets to see lr. Neverthe ess, I anr convinced thnt real things do exjst,
however endangered .hey mxy be.There are earlh and water, rhe ight
of the sun,lindscapes and vescr.rlofr rnd rlrere ire objecls. mide by
man, such as machincs, tools, or nrusicirl inso.( rIcn15. which . c wrrt
thcy are, whicl) c for fr.i. v. r clcs for iri ir r s( ic rrcssrgc, rf(l w rose
P-.s.r..
ls !( I
(.v,l(
rir
When we loo< at objects or buidings tha! seem ro be at peace within
$emse ves, our perceprion becomes ca rn and du ed.The obiects we
perceive have no message for Lrsithey are simPly there. Our percePtlve
faculries grow qu et,unpr-eiud ced,and unacquisitive.They reach beyond
sigfs nnd symbo sithe/ are open, empty. lt is irs f we cou d see some-
rhing on whlch we cannot focus our consciousness. Here, in thls per-
ccprra vacuum, a memory may surface, a mernory thac seems to lssue
nom rhe deprhs oftime. Nowour observation of the object enrbraces
.r p cscfLlment ofthe world n a I its wholeness beca!se there is noth-
,+t drir cannot be ufderstood.
llrcrc is a power ln the ord nary things of everyday life, as Edward
lloppcrs pnnrngs seem to say. Wc only have to look at chem lonS
C,'nrpleted landscaps
r,, i!, tlic presence of cerrain buidLngs has something secrec about
I ltr./ sccm s mp y to bc there.We do no! pay any special attention
, , ili,.hr Afd ycr . is vircuir ly nrposs ble to lmaSine che pace where
, ,
/
.,r.,,i(
wirhour rhem.These buildings ippear ro be anchored firm-
r
' '
rli,,
),
ound.They g ve rhe impress on of bcing a self-evident parc
I r1,,, !i, i)L,n.lings aid $cy sccnr.o be s.ying: ' :rm as yolr see me
,,,, I l' ,, r| lio cl'
1,,v,.,
l,,,ro
r.rteclcs ictod.srrrsrchb! ldIrts.brildingsrhaq n rlm,
, w ,.,rnl/ rirol)crrrt)r rolr|.f.rnrir.l lrstoryof tlrcLr plce.
I !,
r
I w w!, L,n.,, lirr(! rL n rir|r v,,,i,,,i r \lr\ Lf,( l, iroii.il s ri
r I r .i
.,,rl
.lr(,1ir.,( ily,,l rli,.,,,r,,v, ,r,,i,irr.r1 rli, ricwbL,.l
rt
',"1
,r',I)'.L,t,t .lr,.rli,,,,i, ,,,) i,',, i,,,,r11 ,1,.,1()JlL!
with the existing sjtuation. For i{the intervention is to llnd lts place, it
must make us see what already exists in a new iight.We throw a srone
into the water. Sand swirls up and settles again.The stir was necessary.
The stone has found its p ace. But the pond is no longer the same.
I belleve those buildings onLy be accepted by their surroundings ifthey
have the ability to appeal to our emotions and minds in various ways.
Since our fee ings and understanding are rooted in the past,our sensu-
ous connections with a building must respect the process of remem-
bering.
sut, as
John
Berger says, what we remember cannot be compared to
the end of a line.Various possibilities lead to and meet in the act of re-
menberi'rg. lnaSes. moods. Io ms. words. sr8n.. or , omDdr i\or\ opel
up possibilities of approach.We must construct a r"dial system of ap-
proach that enables us to see rhe work ofarchitec.ure as a focal point
from diffe.ent angles slnr u ltaneou s ly: hlstorica ly, aesth eticalLy, fu n ction-
ally, person" ly, passionately.
The tension inside the body
Among al rhe drawings prodrced by architects, my favorites are the
working drawings.Worl(ing drawings are detailed and objectve. Cre-
ated for th craftsmen v/ho are to give the imagined object a materla
form,they are free of assoclative rnanipulation.They do not try to con-
vince and imprcss like projec! draw ngs.They seem to be saying:"Thls
is exactly how it will lool(l'
Working drrw ngs rre like anacomical drawings.They revea something
ofrhe secrer inncr tcfsron d t tlrc frnrhcd rrclrirccturil body s re-
luctnn. lo diyulSc c rIt ,,1 yri r rq, 1r rlrLcn
u(,(rrcrry.
(lrc f|iction of
materials,the inner forces of bear n8 and ho ding,the human work that
is inherent in man made things.
Per Kil*eby once dld a brick sculpture in the form ofa house for a Docu-
menta exhibition in Kassel.The house had no entrance.lts interior was
intrccessible and hidden. lt remaned a secret, which added an aura of
mystica depth to the sculpt!re's other qualities.
I thinl( that the hidden structures and constructions of a house should
be organized in such a way that they endow the body of the building
w rh a quality ofinnertension and vibration.This is howvio lns are made.
They rem nd us of the living bod es of nature.
Unexpected truths
hr nry yourh I imagined poetry as a kind of co ored cloud made up o{
irorcor ess diffuse met2phors and alusions,which,a thouSh they mlght
lx {,rjoyrb e,were dlfllcu t to associate with a relable view ofthe world.
n ! irr rrchitect, I have earned to understand that the oppos te of thls
y{nr lrfrl definition of poetry is probab y c oser to rhe truth.
I i work o{ architecture conslsts of forms and contents that conbine
!',
( (,ice
r strong fundamentn mood powerfu enough to affect us, it
lr,ry
t)osscss
Lhe qua itles of a work of art.This art has, howevet noth'
rrql to do widr inceresr ng confgurations or oriinality. lt is concerned
wrrlr inli8hts end understand fg, and ibovc .ll with truth. Perhaps po
!.rr y r\ Uncxpcclcd n udr. l. I ves in sri llress Arch tecture\ arr sric rask
r'. r,,
f
iv. rlris srill cxpccmncy r fotrn Thc br ldirg i6elf is fever poer-
, n r rii,)!(, r rrry posscss sLrbtk qrrrlrtrcr. wlrrr h, rt ccrtr rr rnorrrcnts,
'
|,rrt rrr to Lrrrlc[sLrrrr] s()r! rlrl,r| rl,.rr w. wt , r rtr v,r rb c to rrdcr
,
'i,,1
r ,tL r,.rl) s w.ry Irl,)r'
Desire
The clear, logical development of a work of architecc!re deperds on
ratlonal and objective criteria.When I permit subjectlve and unconsid-
ered ideas to lntervene in the objectlve course of the design process, I
acknowledge rhe siSnificance of personal fee lngs in my worl.
when architects talk abour their buildings, what they say is often ar
odds wirh lhe statements of the buildings themse ves.This is probabLy
connected with rhe fact thar they lend to talk a good deal about the
ritional, thought-out aspects of their worl( and less about the secret
pi$ion that inspires t.
Tlrc design prccess is based on a constant interplayoJ feeling and rea
ion.The fee ings, preferences.longings,and desires that emerge:nd de-
rrind ro be given a form mlrst be contro led by critical
Powers
of rea
irrlfg. buc ir ls our feellngs that tel us whether abstract considemtions
i(.rlly r ng rnre.To a large degree, designinS is based on understandlng
.,,,.1 csrib ishlns systems o{ ordenYet I be leve that lhe essential sub-
.r incc of rhe architectlre we seel< proceeds from feeling and insight.
l\,r i(nrr momenrs of intuition resuk from patient work.With the sud
'l,r
cmcrgcnce ofan inner image,a new lne in a dmwlng, the whole
'i,-.,ltr
chirnges and is new y fo.mulated within n fract on of a second. lt
'
,., f i powe{u drug were sudden y r.k ng effecr. Everyth ng I knew
1,,l, ),. lhotlt the thing I am creating is f ooded by a brigh! new lighr. I
, rt{, iui.c
ioy
and passiof,:r)d sonrcdring.leep ins de me seems to af-
I', , w ir to briikl rhls horrcl'
(
,,'rposing i'r spncc
,,,,,,,(ry
\rlxrI rlr(
jw,,,n
rj,.,
t)l,,rj,.
,rlrt,\ r,,l rlrrtrrl rrcrr
sional bodies in space. Geometry can help us understand how to han-
dle space in architecurre.
lrur.h
-ecrLre.
rhere are lwo basic poss brlitie\ oI \pdfirl (
onpo\ll ro1:
the closed archlrectural body that isolates space within itsell:nd the
open bodythat embrales.!l
1T1
olsfage
1!!t
r: connected v/ith the
,eldless
contin!!m.The extension of space can be made visible through
bodies such as slabs or poles placed freely or in rows ln the spatial ex-
I do not claim to know what space really is.The longer I think nbout it,
the nrore mysterious it becomes.About one thing, holvever,I am sure:
when we, as architecB, are concerned with space, we
"re
concerned
with but a tlny paft ofthe infinity that surrounds the earth, and yet each
and every buid ng marks a lnique place in that infinity.
With this idea in mind,I start by sl<etchinS the first plans and sections
of my design.I dmw spatia diagrams and simple volumes.I try to vlsu-
alize them as precise bodies in space, and I feel it is irnportant to sense
exactly how they define and separate an area of interior space from
rhe space thar surrounds them, or how they contain a part of the infi-
nite spatial continuum in a kind of open vessel.
Bu ldings that haye a st.ong impact always convey an intense fee ing of
rheir spatlaL quality.They embrace the mysterious void ca led space in a
special way and make i! vibrate.
Common sense
Designing s lnvenrng.Whcn lwis stillrt.rtsnnd cr.fts school.we lried
to fo low this plinc ple We Lookcd for i fcw sollLiof io cvcry prob
lem Wc fclr r wis irnpo|tirir
(o
bc rvlir
lt,r
.lc N()l urul htcr.li.l I rc-
a ize that lhere are basicaly on y a very few architecrul probiems for
which a val d solut on has not already been found.
n retrospec!, my educarion in desirn seems somewhat a-historical. our
roLe models were the pioneers and inventors of Das Neue Bauen.We
regarded architecrural history as part of our genera education, which
had little lnfluence on our work as designers.Thus, we frequenty ln'
vented what had a ready been invented, and we tried our hand at in-
venting.he uninventable.
Thls l(lnd oftraining in design ls not without its educational value. Latei
howeyer,as practicing architects,we do wellto get acquainted with lhe
cnormous repository of knowledge and experience contained in the
history of archicecture. I believe that if we integrate this in our wor<,
wc have a better chance of making a genuine contribution of our own.
Architecture ls, however, not a linear process that leads more or ess
logicaly and di.ectly from architectural history to new buildings.On rhe
sci\rch for the architecture that I envisage,lfrequenty experience sti-
f fg moments of emptiness. NothinS can thlnl( of seems to ta ly lvith
whir I wnnt and cannot yet env sage.At lhese moments,l try to shake
,,ff rlre academic l<now edge of archltecture I have acquired because ir
li,rs slddenly shrted to hold me bac(.This helps.l find I can breathe
,(,rc freely.l carch a whiff of the old fxmiiar mood of the nventors and
''' ',
'
D-renl-' orce r8.,,r be(o.,e irv.r ro'
llr, (
rcitive act in which i wod< of irchitccrurc conres nto belnggoes
l), yorrd aL hisrorical and tcchnicirl knowcdAe. ks focLrs is on rhe dia
,
'llL
(,
w rl, rhc i5srcs of oor rnr.. At tllc rronrcnt ot its crc.tiof, archi
, , r,rc s boonclro ihc prcscrir in.i vi,,y\tn{i., wiylr i(!fc.tsrhcspi
, r,n r iv, nr(n .!rl
ttv,\,r\,)w,,,r,w,,,
r,' rlr' (t1
t,\r
(,
tr of oLrr tirrrc
r
,,
rll
throlgh its funcciona form ifd appearance, ics re ation$ p with orher
works of aichitecture, and w rh the p ace where ir stands.
The answers to these quest ofs, which I can forn!la.e as an arch tect,
are imired. Our r mes of change and rransidon do no! permic b g ges,
tLres.Trere are ory x few remain ng common va les left upon whlch
w can build and which we all share.lchus appea forakndof?rchi-
rccturc of common sense based on the fundam6nrals rhat wa still <now.
understand.and fee. carefully observe the concrete appearance ofthe
wor d.and n my buidings ltry to enhance what seems to be va Lrable,ro
correct what is d sturbing, and to create anew whar we feel is nrjssing.
Melancholy perceptions
Eftore Scolas f m Lc Bo/ recounts f fty years of European h story wlth
no dialogue and a comp ete unity of place. h consists so ely of music
and the rnorion of peop e nroving and danclng.We r-ernain in the same
room with rhe same people throughout, wh le time goes by afd rhe
dancers grow older.
The focus of the film is on rs main characrers. Bu! ir s lhe bal room
with lts tlled floor and its pareling. the stal s lf the brcl<grolnd, and
rhe lions paw at rhe side thar creiles dre film\ defse, powertul atmos-
phere. Or is lt th orher way aroufd? s r rhe peoplc who endow the
room with its par! cular moodl
I as< this question becalse I am convinced thir i good building mLst
be capable ofabsorblrg rhe rr.ccrolhuni.rf fc irn(l tliusofr.kfgo|
Natur.lly, rr r r s corilctt | 1 r rik,,l rli.,.rrih r,,l.rrI.
()
r rrrrcr r s.of r
nL rrorblr rrrr.Ll 1.,, , . ,,1 v.L
'
li ,.,, 1.1 .
,t,,)w,i
, L l
tr ';r
,
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..
and brirtle, and of edges
Polished
by use. But when close my eyes and
try to forget both these physical traces and my own first associatlons,
what remalns ls a different imPression, a deePer feelng-a conscious-
ness of tlme passin and an awareness ofthe human lives that have been
acted our in these places and rooms and charged them with a sPec al
aura. A. these mornents, a.chitecture\ aesthetic and
Practical
values
sty istic and historical slgnificance a.e of secondary imPortance Whar
matters now is only this feeling of deeP melancholy.Architecture ls ex
posed to life. lf lts body ls sensitive enough, it can asslrme a quality that
be?rs wltness to the reality of
Past
ife.
Steps left behind
When I work on a des gn I allow myself co be guided by images a'rd
moods that I remember and can relate to the kind of arch .ectLrre I am
_looking
fon Most of the images that come to mlnd orl8inate from my
subiective experience and are only rarely accompanied by a reme'n-
bered architectural commentary While I am designing I r.v to find out
lvhat these images mean so that I can learn how to cre:re a wealth of
visual forms and atmospheres.
After a certain time, the object I am designing takes on some of the
qua ities of the mages I use as models lf I can find a meaningful way of
nterlocl<ing and suPerlmPosing these qualities.the object w llassume a
depth and richness. f lam to achieve this effecqrhe qralilies I am gving
the design must merge :rnd blcrrd w rh rhc const|ucr onal and forinal
structure of drc fin shcd bui d rrg. For m i r.l consn ucl on iPpcarance
and {( f ctiorr irr no lorrltq !cprrrtc llx'y bclorlll l()ll.rh.r irrdfornrr
When we look ar the finished building,our eyes,guided by our anayti-
cal mlnd, tend to stray and lool( for deta ls to hold on to. But the syn-
rhes s ofthewhole does not become comprehenslble through isolated
dctais. Everythlng refers to everything.
Ar chis momen!, the initial images fade into the background.The mod
els.words,and comparisons thatwere necessaryforthe creation of the
w ro e disnppear ll(e steps that have been left behlnd.The new bullding
rssumes che foca position and is itsell ts history begins.
I l)clicve that architecture today needs to reflect on the tasks and pos-
il)il r es which are inherent y its own.Archirecture is not a vehic e or a
.,yrrbolfor
rhings that do not be ong to its essence.ln a soc ety thar ce -
,
'
Ics $e inessentia,archltecture can p!! up a resistan ce, co!nteract
,.wiste offo.ms and meanings,and spea< its own anguage.
1,, |l, vc $:rt the language of arch lecture is no!a question of a specific
.,y|, lvoy building ls buir for a spccific usc in a speclfic place and for
..
! , L( socicl/. My bllldinSs cry to answer the questions thrt emerge
r'
'
r,i r1irs. s rnple fac$ as precisely and critl.ally as .hey can.
t*.
-t,t,r
t'
I
1r
The Hard Core of Beauty
Two weeks ago I hrppened ro heai r rad o
Program
or) the Amer can
r,.erW
lirrn CarlosW lianrs.Tfe
Progranr
was entited Thc Hdrd Cor
.l Belruty.Th s phrasc caughr nry atrefrlof.I ike rhe ider that be:tuty has
, rid core. afd when rh nk of arch .ecrlrre this associatlon of beru
ryrrrdr h:r-dcorehasacerta rfamilarty. Thenrachie sathlrrSrr:rr
li r\ .o srLp!f !o!s pxr$. Will ams s suPPosed to have sn d. And I n
,r .llrrcly rhin
(
I know what he meant lr's a tholtht rhai Peret Hr rd
(e
, L,,l(,\ ro.lfeel,whcn re srys rhat bcauty ies I nirLra,grown rhirgs
,.Li .lo not c:r.ly irny sigfs or nessages. and whcn he adds thar hc s
, , r w ,c. he ca.nor d scover the nrean irg of things for h nsc f.
A !rl,.n I ei fcd f-om rhe irdio prosram $3t $ poetry ofwi am
I lrWil ams s biscd on lhe.onvicton tlrit lrere n_e no dcas ex-
r rc rh ngs rhemse vcs ifd thir llre
PUiPose
of hls nrt was to
,, li,i 1.,,1oiy peic.ption r{) 1 re wo! d of fii r8s in order to mal(e
,L/Vt'j\! wo.t.sid rlrcspcrkc:rlris rik.s prcc seenrngyufemo
,,1/ i,,l r(1)icilly..r,i(l ir
jprcci!cl/io rlrlq .ir.n rhii hl( reYrs
!r,,,ilt f,ri.r ,rrri ,,i1, ,( 1
i I ,
',l.,t,ti,.i
,1r1,,.r, L,).,ir.,rorswthbui.l-
,l r(,
',y
(,l.liL,r ,) ,1,'w, ,,,,r!,i r,,, r,, ,|.tol,r Ard to
",
,,, ,r1,1.,'
r,
r,.1,1,., ,,i L, l]rrrt|liivl'
",,'l',,.Lrrlir
iLL l,L',| i rrlf Lr,)ilr
|
! i, l, , ,' ,,/r', I
I
l l
..$"
h
'{,
"f
no need for art stic additions.The hard core ol beauty: concenrrated
But where are archltecture's fields of force that constitute lts substance
above and beyond all superficiality and arbitrariness?
Ita o Calvlro te ls us in his lezionj omericdne about the ltalian poer Gi
acomo Leopardi who saw the beauty of a work of art, in hls case the
beauty of iterature, in $ vagueness, oPenness. and indeterminacy, be_
(
rJ\e rl-r\ e.rves tl-e form oPen lor mar/d{erer rrer'rrSs
Leopardls observation seems convinc ng enoush Works or objects of
art thar move us are mu tifaceted;they have numerous and
PerhaPs
end-
less layers of meaning that overlap and interweave, and that chanSe as
we change our angle of observation.
But how is the architect to obtain this dePth and multiPllcity in a bulld-
ine of his making? Can vasueness and openness be planned? ls there
not a contradiction here to the claim of accuracy thatWilllams's argu-
ment seems to imPly?
Calvino {inds a surprising answer to this in a text by LeoPardi Calvino
points out that in Leopard t own texts,this lover of the indeterminate
reveals a palnstal(ing fidelity to the things he describes and offers to
our co nte mplatio n, and hecomes to the conclusion:"This,rhen is what
Leopardi demands of us so that we can enjoy the beauty of the inde-
terminate and vaguel He calls for highly rccurate and
Pedantic
atten-
rlon ln the composition of each
Picture,
in the meticulous definlt on of
details, in the cho ce of obiects, liShting, rnd atmosphere wirh the aim
of attaining the desired vaguenessl Ca vino closes wlrh rhc seemingly
paradoxical proclam.tion: The
Pocr
of tlrc v,tstrc crn orrly be $e poct
What inrerests me in this story reporred by Calvino is notthe exhorta-
tion to precision and patient, detai ed wor< with which we are allfamll-
ar bur the lmplication that richness and multiplicity emanate from the
th ings th emselves if we observe them aftentivelyand give them thelr due.
App led !o architecrure, this means for me lhat power and multiplicity
musr be developed from the assisned task or in other wol.ds,from the
th ngs lhat constitute it.
John
Cage said in one of h s lectures rhat he is not a composer who
hcars music in h s mind and then attempts to write it down. He has an
olher way o{operating.He works out conceprs and structures and then
rrs rhem performed !o find ou. how they sound.
when I read this slatement I remembered how we recently deve oped
rprolcctfor a therma bath in the mountalns in mystudio,not byform-
,,,11 prelminary images of the building in our minds and subsequently
.L,l.,prifg them to the assignrnenq but by endeavorinS to answer basic
1 ,,osrions ar sing from the ocation ofthe glven slte, rhe purpose, and
ili(, blllding materials mountain, rock, warer whlch at first had no
v
..L,il
content in terms of exisr ng architecture.
r wrsonlyafccrwe had succeeded inanswering,stepbystep,theques-
, {i! poscd by che site, purpose, and material that structures and spac-
, . ,, ,!
Bcd
which surprised us .nd wh ch I believe possess the
Poten-
r.Ll ,,1 r prirnord ir force rhir ieaches dccper than the mere arrange-
,,' ,ii ,)l \tylsticilly prcconcc vcd fonfs.
, ,, , ,
t,yifu
orcscll wid, rhc inhcrcnt liws of corcrcte rhings such as
,, ,r.rr\,r.,.k.ir.lwitcr f conrr{ r,,ni wirl, r lnrikling issi8fmcrt of
1,...1 ,1r.!ricofrpprclicrxl,,,ll.,,i{l
(,\t)r(\rrrri!(tricofllicpr'rril
ind
. rw, , rLrtLrr.rlyrlrrtru,r",rtll,rr,.,,l r1,,.,, r'rrrlt ,. r tl ,n tlc
veloping an a.ch tecture lhat sets out from and rerurns to real things
Preconcelved images and stylistcaly
Pre-fnbricated
forma idioms are
qualified only to block access to.his goal.
My SwLss colLeagues Herzog and de Melron say that arch tectur as a
sing e whole no longer ex sls todry,and tha! it accotuingly has to be ar-
rficia y $eared in the head of.he desigri as an act of precise .h nk-
ing.The rwo archllects derive f.om th s assumPtlon their rheory of ar-
chirectLrre as a form of thought, an architectLrre thac l suPPose. should
reflect lls cerebrally conceived wholeness in a sPecial way
I do not ntend to pursue these architecrs'theory of archltecture as a
form of though., but only the assumPtion on whlch lt is based, namely
that the wholeness of a bujlding ln the old sense of the master build-
ers no longer exists.
Personally,I stlll believe in the self sufficient. corporeaL wholeness of an
architecturaL object as the essential. if diffcult,alm of my wod(, if not as
a natural or
Siven
facl.
Yet how are we to ach eve this wholeness ln arch tecture at atime when
the d vine,which once gave .h ngs a meanlng,and even reality iiself seem
to be dissoving in the endless fLrx oftransitory sgns and imaSes?
Peter Handke wrtes of his endeavors to make rexts and descriPtions
part of the envlronment they re ate to. lf I lnderstand him correctly, I
am confronted here no!on y bythe aL-roo-fam iarawarenessofrhedlf-
ficulty ofeliminating artificiality in things created in an arcifcial acl and
of maklng them part of lhe wor d of ord nary :rfd naruraL rhi'rgs, bur al
so by lhe be ef drac rlrlr es in rh drlr)Bs drcnrsc vcs
I belicvc thit if rrtisl c piocesscs st iv. foi wl(,lqi.rss. rhcy r wiys rt
tcnrplloltvclli(.r.irr.rr1rPr(\(:rx(,rkrr
rr,rlrir {.,11vlrrr rlic rliirrSs
of nature or in the natural envlronment. Consequently,l find that can
unde.stand Hand(e,who in the same interview refers to himself as a
writer about p aces, when he requirs of his texts that there should
be no additlves in lhem, but a cogn zance of detaiLs and of thelr inter-
lin(ing to form a factual complexl'
The word Handke uses to designate what I have here ca ed a factu
al comp ex, name y Sdchverho/t, seems to me to be meanlngful with re-
gard to the aim of whole and unadukernted things:exact factua con
renls must be brcught together, bu ldlngs must be thought of as com-
p exes whose details have been rlghtly identfied and
Put
lnro i factual
relirlonship ro each otherA factua relationshipl
Thc point that emerges here is the reduction of the conter.s to real
things. Handl(e aLso speaks, in this contexr, offideLlty to things. He would
li(c his descriptions, he says, to be experlenced as failhfu ncss to the
l
ice chey des.ribe and not as s!Pp ementary colorlng.
SriLcments of dr s kifd he p me to come to terms w th rhe dissatisfac-
ror otlen experence when lcontemPate recent architecture.l fre
,lLcntly come across buildings.hat have been desgned with a good
,lo,r of effort and a wil ro find a special forrn, and I find L anr
Put
otf by
il,. n Thc .rchirect respofs ble for the blrllding ls not
Present,
but he
L.,l(\ to rre un.easLnsly from eve.y detail, he keePs on saying the same
rjt.ifd I qric(ly ose nrcrcsl.Good irchire.ture should recelvethe
'1,
rnf viliror shou d ciible hinr ro cxPc icrrce it ind live in it, bul it
..
r,Lr
(l
nor cofstifr y ti\ k ir r fr.
Wy, oftdi wondc r s lhc
()l)v ()Lr
l)rlr .lll1. L, I rr
(rr
o I so IircLy t icdl
Wlit
(l()
wr lrivc !) |ll(l(,,,ril!l,1i,,, rli1 l).,r
(
r r rru! Jrc r l..nrrc i5
,.,,(.ll,,ir rr,,rI(,|.rI.Irri,LIi ,!' .r 1 , , r ! )
'
. l
'
, , , ,
'
r '
. , , i , l'
11
[rt r'.
earch ind si<X and confidence n spaces thar arc realy a owed to be
spaccs sPices whose encios n8 wal s and const luenr materia s, con
cavity, emptiness, ight. air, odor. receP!vity, and resonance are hand ed
w!$ respect and carei
I persona y ke the idea of designing and bu d ng houses from wh ch I
crn w rhdraw at the end of rhe forming proccss, eaving behind a bui d-
iftrh.rls lsef,draise-vcsasaplacetolive n and a parr of the wor d
of rlr fgs, afd rhat caf manage perfeccly well without nry personal rhe'
To nre, buidngs can have a beaurfu silence rhat associate wth at-
rrlb!rcs such as compos!re, self cvidence, durabiLty. presence, and in
tegriry,and w$ warmth and sens!ousness as we lia buid ngthat ls be-
ing lrse f, being a bui d ng, not representing any.hin8,
i!sc
being.
Say that it is a c.!de effect, b ack reds.
Pinl( ye lows. orange whites, too much as they are
To be anything e se in the sun ight of the room.
Too mlch as they ire !o be changed by me.aphor,
Too actua, things tha. in being rea
l4al<e any imag nings of them esser ihlngs.
This ls the begnning of che poem 8olguer ofRoses in Sunlight by rhe
American poe! of qiJlet contctrrp ation.Wa ace Scevens
Wa Iace Stcvens, I re:rd in the inffodu.r on ro his col ectiof of
Poems,
acccpted the chi lenge of look ft lofg, prti. rt y..i,ra .xr.r y rnd of d s
cove_ing rfd rf.lo
jti
i.l,,t r r ,11 H r
1r,r|,r
.,r,r rio( r
ProLcsr
or ir
.o|it) rrir rrt,,i.r r !rr l.,w.,,ri r,,Il .rr1' .'r, rli,y rlr, (!l,r(,\.r0I
any sor.ofconsternation,butthey see< a harmonywhich is possible all
thesameandwhic inhlscase-canonlybethatofthepoem.(Calvno
goes a step further a ong thls line ofrhought ln an artemp! to define his
L cerary wod< when he says tha! he has only one defense against.he oss
ofform that he sees allaround himian idea of icerarure.)
Reality was rhe goal to which Stevens :spired.S!rrealism,ir appears.did
not rnpress him,for itinvents without discovering.He pointed outthat
to porcray a shell playing an accordlof is to invent, nor discover.And so
it crops up once again, rhis fundamental thought that I seem to find in
Wi iams and Hand<e,and that I aso sense in the paintings of Edward
Hopper:it s only between the realty ofthlngs and the imtrginarion tha!
the spark ofthe worl< ofnrt is knd ed.
lf I translare this statement nto archtectural terms,ltel myself thar
the spar( ofthe sLrccessf! building can ony be knd ed between the
rea ity of the th ngs pertainlng to i. and the imaginarion.And this is no
revelatlof to me, but the confirmacion ofsomethinS I continLra y strive
for in my work, and the confirnration of a wish whose roors seem to
be deep ifside me.
I
But to return to the qlestion on finaltime:where do lfind lhe reality
on which I must concentrate nry powers of lmagin:ition when artemp!-
lng to deslgn a buiding for a particular p ace and purpose?
One key to che answer lies, I believe, in che words pla.e and "pur-
Pose"
themse ves.
ln an essay encded Buildng Dwellfg Thifkingl l.. tif Hedegger
wrote; Living imofg drings is the birs c p inc ple of hunraI cxistcncel'
wh ch I llndersl:l,if ro rircirr rhit iri rn rbst rcr world
but ilwrys ii iw,!l.l
(,fr[!rt]!.v(
r wlrli w,, rr )(.nn,l.or.ii rjtirl
Heidegger: 'The re ationsh p of maf to places afd rhrough places co
spaces is based on his dwe ling ln !hem."
The conceptofdwe ifg,understood n Heideggerk wide sense of ving
and !h nl(ing n p aces and spaces, contains an exact reference to what
rea ity means to me as an architecr.
It ls not lhe rea lty of theories detached from things, i. is .he iea lry of
the concrere buidlng assignmenr relar ng to che acr or slate of dwell-
ng that incerests me nnd Lrpon which I wish to concenrrate my magi-
narive facuhies. lt s the rei ity of bui ding mater a s. stone. cloth, stce ,
eather...,and th reaity ofthe strucrures luse to consrrLct dre build-
ing whose propert es I wish to penetrate with my imaglfation. bringing
nrcaning and sensuousness to bear so rhar che spark of lhe s!ccessfu
bui d ng may be andled, a bui difg that can serve as a home for man.
The .eeliry ofa.ch lectur-e is lhe concrete body n which forms,volumes,
rfd spnces come ln.o belng.There arc no ldeas except in things.
From a Passion forThings to the Things Themselves
It is important to me to reflect about architecture, to step back from
my daily work and take a lookatwhat lam doing and why Iam doing it.
I love doingthis,and I thinl< I need it,too.I do not work towards archi-
tecturefrom a theoretically defined point ofdeparture.for lam commit-
td to makinS architecture,to building,to an ideal of perfection,just as
ln my boyhood I used to make things according to my ideas,things that
had to be just right, for reasons which I do not really understand.lt was
always there,this deeply personaJfeeling forthe things I made for myself,
and I never thought of h as being anythinS special.lt was
iust
rhere.
Today,lam aware that my work as an architect is largely a questforthis
onrly passion,this obsession,and an attempt to understand it berter and
to rflne it.And when I reflecton whether lhave since added new imag-
.3 and passions to the old ones,and whether I hav learned something
ln my training and practice,l realize that in some way I seem always ro
havG l(nown th rntuitive core of new discoveries.
Plnc6s
I llvo and work in Graub0nden, in a farminSvillage surrounded by moun-
tnlni. I sometimes wonder whether this has influenced my work, and
tlrc thoutht that it probably has is nor unpleasanr.
Wo0ld the buildints I design look dlfferenr if, instead of Iiving in
Grnubunden,l had spent rhe past rwonryjlvo ysars ln rhe landscape of
Iny
/outh
on th northrn foothllls of tho
Jura
mountalns, wlrh rhelr
39
rol ng h lls and beech woods and the familiar, reassuring vicinity of the
urbane city of Baseli
As soon as I begln to think about this question, I reaiize that my lvork
has been influenced by many places.
When I concenlrate on a spec fic site or p ace for which am
Solng
to
design a building, when I try ro plumb lts depths, its form, its hlstory,and
its sensuous qualities, images of other p aces slart to invade this
Proc_
css of precise observation:images of p aces that I know and that once
frpressed me, lrnages of ordinary or sPec al
Places
tha. I carry with
,,,c irs nner vislons of sPeclfic moods and q!aLltiesi images of rrchitec
rurrl siruations. whlch emanate {rom the world of art, of films, the.ter.
sometimes they corne to me unbidden, these mages of places that
,rc frcquent y at firs! glance inapProPriate or alien, images of
Places
of
,,rlly d fferent origlns.At other ! mes I summon them.I need them, for
11 s only when I confront and comPare the essentials of different
P
ac-
(,,..
whcn I a low sinrilar, re ated, or maybe alien e ements to cast their
r)ilir of rhc pl.ce of my intervef. on that the focused, mukifaceted im-
.i|t, of rhe local esscfce of the site emergcs, a vision tha! reveals con-
!, rnns, cxposes lfes offorce,and creates excitement.lt is now that
rl,, l , rilc, . errive groufd :rppears, and the nerwor( of posslble ap-
1,,,
),( lics ro.hc specific plrcc cmcrgcs afd trgge|s $e processes and
, , ,
,.!,nr
of dc' gn So I inrnrcr sc nryrclt if rhc plice and rry to inhib r
L ,i ,,/ rrrg ritior. ind irl
([c
sr r)c rirr(r I k](t( l).yon.l ir ir rhe world
'1
,'y t)rlicr p r(f!
Wli,,,l{(),,r1, i.b\s i l)Lr , rr| r,.,r lji.,,v,l,t),,1 ., !tx'( rl ,rcsclrcc
,,,,,,rtr,ri w,rli rr't,1.,,, 1.r.,'j ,,,!r,,i," It(I II,I1 rr!l,ri
bued with an inner tension that refers to something over and above
It seems to be parl of the essence of lts place, and at the same tinre k
speal(s of the world as a whole.
When an architectural design draws solely from tradition and only re'
peats the dlctates of its site,I sense a lack of a genuine concern with
the world and the emanations of contemporary life. lf a work of archi-
recture speaks only of contemporary trends and sophisticated visions
without triggering vibrations in its place, this worl( is not anchored in
]ls site, and I miss the specific gravlty of the ground it stands on.
Observations
I We were standlngaround the drawingtab etalkingabout a project by
an architect whom we all hold in high regard. I considered the proiect
interesting in many ways. I mentioned severaL of its specific qualities
and added that some time previously I had laid aslde my positive prej!-
dice, which sprang from my high estimation of the architect, and taken
an unbiased look at the project.And I had come to the conclus on that,
as a whole,l did not rea ly like it.We discussed the possible reasons for
my impression and came up wlth a few details wthout arriving at a val-
ld conclusion. And then one of rhe younger members of the group, a
talented and usually rationa ly minded arch tect, said:"lt is an lnterest-
ing building for n I sorts of theoretical and pracrical reasons.The rrou-
ble is,it has no soull'
Some weeks later. I was s tting oucdoors dr fking cotfee wich my wfe
and discussing thc issuc of bu ldings w th i soul.Wc ril<cd about scv
eral works ofr(luc(r,rc rlnr wc kncw.r,r{l rlcsrrrl,crl rhcrrr ro crch
other. And when we recalled b!ildings that had the characteristics we
were lookingforand pinpointed the r spec alqualties,we became aware
that there are buildings that we ove.And whereas we knew almost at
ofce which ones belonged to the spec al cateSory in which we were in-
rerested, we found it diffcult to find a common denomlnator fo. their
qua i!ies. Our artempt to generalize seemed to rob the individual build-
ngs of thelr sp endor.
But che subjecc continued to prey on my mind,and I resolved to try and
write some briefdescriptions oftrrchitectural situations that I love,fraS-
mencary approaches based on peroonal experiences tha. have a con
rccrion with my work,and in so doing to move within the same mencal
fr:rmeworl( in which I think when I am concerned with generating the
csenr als of a work of my own.
2 The main rooms of the sma I mountain hotel overlooked the va ley
(ri
dre broad slde of the lonS bullding. lt had two adjacent wood-pan-
(,
cd reception rooms on the
sround
floor, both ofthem accessible from
r lic corridor and connected by a doorThe smaller of them looked like a
, (,rrforrable
p ace in which to sit and read, and the larger one, with five
w.l p accd tablcs,was clearythe place in which meak were served.On
l lir f,, rr-lloor chere were bedrooms wich deep,shady wooden balconies,
,ri rhc sccond floor mo|e bcdrooms open ng onto terraces.
I wi,Lr
(l
cnioy lookin8 irt rhc open sky ffom the upper rooms,l lholght,
.L wr ipproached rhe horcl for drc first irnrc But ihc .houSht of sray'
,
1i
r r o rc of the fir st I oor knnri\.,,,(i,
(,](lirlt
or wr I fg n the intimare
rt rbrln,rrt ol t[c rl'rly lrrkorry rrr tl,r, l,rtr, rftrrnn,n rr rrn sccnrcd
There was an openins in the wn a. the foot of the staircase eadlng
from the upperfloorstothe entrance.A servinghatch ln the earyafter-
noons it held frtritflans on white p ates for the guests.The smellofthe
{resh flans tool< us by surprise as we came down the stairs,and kitchen
noi\es 5 r Fd
I
om tl e hd
I
ope'r door of the oDDosrre roon-
After a day or two we knew olr way around.There were deck chairs
stacl(ed along .he side of che hoteL, wh ch adioins the meadow A lit
cle way away, in the haf shadow at the edge of the wood, we noticed a
woman sitting ln a decl( chalr, readlng.We
Picl(ed
up rwo of the chairs
and looked for a spot ol our own. During the day we usually dmnk o'rr
coffee at one of the wooden folding tables on the narrow veranda ar
the front.They were hinged at .eSular intervals along the front
ParaPer.
Good p aces to slr,these small tables clinging to the edge of.he vernn-
daithe sill was
iust
the rght height for use as an elbow rest.
Conversarions with the other guests !sually took
Place
nl dusk at the
other veranda tab es, placed in a row against lhe facade and
Protected
lrom rhe weather by rhe projecting upper foors.The Frcnch window
to the veranda was opened after rhe evening mer iwe
al slretched olrr
legs and oo<ed out over rhe valley.and then satwith a drjnl( by the wal
rhatwas sti lwarm from the days sunshine.Once,after lhe evening rneal,
we were invited to sit at lhe large corner table at the far end ofthe ve
randa near the enlrance. D!ring the day, that sPot always seemed to be
used by the regulars ofthe house. never sar nthisniche,whichcaughr
the morning sun ar rhe other end oI $c vcrafd.. On sunny mo.nings
rhere was usu.lly somcone ilreidy s rtinS $ere. rcidifg
When I rh fk rb(,ut buid rgs drit prov dc nrc witli riit,,ml sPrtiil con
drorisrr)t)n)t)rrr.rorli{
|
,(
(.
r() rll
(]rly,(nr
tr.,,,yr.rrvtcs.rri.
the way I :m feeling, when I conjure up mental
P
ctures of works of ar-
chltecture thar
Sive
me space to live and seem ro antlciPate and satis{y
my needs, th s mounlain hote always comes to mnd.ltwas designed
by a painter for himself and his guests.
3 OLrr first impression ofthe ou!side ofthe restaurant made us hoPeful
tharwe had foLrnd someth ng betterthan che other places a ong the maln
road of.he tourisr village.We were nor dlsapPointed Enterlng thFough
dre narrow porch,which,as itturned out,was b!iltfrom the nsidebe
h fd the main door like a wooden shed, we found ourselves in ;r l:rrge.
lri8h-ceilinged, hall-Lil(e room, its walls and celling lifed wlth dirk, mat.
ltle.nr
ng wood:regularly placed frames and pane s, waifscoting, conrlc
.s, fdented
jois$ resting on brackets with ornamental scro ls
Ilie .tmosphere of the room seemed dar<, even
Sloomy,
un!ll our eyes
l',l
cw accus.omed to the light.The gloom soon
Save
way to a mood of
lt,,ftleness.The
daylight enlering through lhe ralL, rhythmicaly placd
wrndows lit up cerca n sections of the room, while other
Parts,
which
,l{l not benefr from the retlecllon of the
sht
from the paneling, lay
w drrwn in half-shadow
A! soon:rs lefre_ed the room my eye was caught by an extension ln
,r ccnrcr of the long outer wnll.:r semi-circular bulSe lirge enough
r,, rcc.,r modire fivc tabes rong the curved wall by.he windows.
lli(, foor of rhc room-height fichc wirs of i slightly h gher evel than
rl! ,i,\r of rh. hill. No douht rbo'rt l rl,(nshr.$swrswherel
w.L,ir(tl ro st.lwo
()l
rlr. rrln,! wr, \r,ll I cc.Trc
PcoPc
slrtnt
ri,,,i..krLrl)1 {,\\
()
rIri,ry
rt!
1 ,'1 rri li riL,,.,,i1.L.,,I IprvilclcdrI
We hesitated and finally decided on a rable in the almost empty nrair
part of the hal.Yet we hesitated again, and lnstead of sitting down we
went in search of service.Afler a while a girl appeared through a door
n the pane ing of the inner wal and led us to a table in the niche.We
sat down.The s ight feeling of rr tat on occasion ed by ou r arrival soon
,b.,-ed.we lrr our f
',,
(
Bd,e,re\
rro o,oe,ed son-e w re.
Ar the nexr tab e rwo women were ho ding an animated conversation.
One of them was speal<ingAmerican, the other Sw ss German. Neither
of lhem spol(e a word in the other's language.The voices of the peo-
p e in the group ar the nexr tab e but one sounded pleasantly far away.
I looked around and gradually absorbed the mood.l felt at ease sining
in the light of one of the windows, which now seemed taller chan ev-
er, and lool(ing into the dar<ened expanse of the ha LThe other guests,
busy with their conversrtions and their meas, also seemed happy ro
be sitting therei they behayed naturally, undist!rbed by other peop es
presence,with an unconstralned considerate ness fo r .heir fe owSuests,
which lent them an air ofdignity. Occupied as lwas with my own activ-
ities, my gaze nevertheless a lghted occasionaly on other faces,and I re-
a ized that I lil<ed the feelinS oftheir proximity in this room in which
we all lool(ed our best.
4 Driving a ong a road on .he coast of Ca fornin,we finally arrved at
lhe school that was listed in the architectural guide: a spraw ing com-
plex of pavi ions spread out over a a.ge expifse of fl:rc rnd high over
lhe Pacifc. Barely iny crees, k.rsLic rock rlrrusr ng drrough $e rul{, r
fewhouscs in thc inrnrcd rtc vic Iity.Thc rows olrill,s rSle srory bu ld
ings widr flir.
t,,(,l.,rint
roo15 wcrc corn.(rr.l l)y i\|l,rlr prths cov-
ered by concrete slabs on steel columns, and the regular arrangement
of the paths and pavilions v/hich appeared to accommodate the class-
rooms v/as periodicaily interrupted by buildings with tr specialfunction
atwhich we could onlyguess.llwas duringthe schoolhoLidays and the
complex
y/as
deserted.The windows were set high up in the wals and
it was hard to see into the c assrooms.We came across a large meta
door to a side courtyard, which seemed to belong to one of the c ass-
rooms. lt was s ightly open, and we man:ged to catch a glimpse of a
room with desks and a blackboard. lt was plainly furnished.The wa ls
and rhe floor showed signs of intensive use, and the daylight encering
through the hiSh windows lenr the room an atmosphere that was both
concentrared and genrle.
Prorection from the sun,shelter from the wlnd and rain,an inrelllgent ap'
proach to the issue of lighting,I thoLrght,and I was aware that I had by no
meansSrasped allthe specific qualities ofth s architecture-the srraighr
forward simplicity ofl!s sr.ucture,fol. example,which was reminlscent of
rndustrial precast concrere co nstructlon s, or its spac;ousness,or its lack
of rhe pedantic refnements rhat abound ln schools in Switzerland.
l4y vkit had ben worthwhile. Once aga n,I resolved to begin my work
with the s mple, praccical rh ngs, ro make these ihlngs big and
Sood
and
l)ciurifu, Lo make thcm the star.in8 point of the specific fom, like a
rirster bu der who underslands his metierl
5 Ar thc itc of ci8lrrccn,wli.,, I wis ipprcrclrlfg rhc efd of my appren
r,(slrp irs i.ibincurri<cr,l r)r,l, ry fir\r \, 1.!csitrc(l picccs of fur-
rirrrcThcrrislcr(,rl)o{,r,ri.rk|, ,), {lit,(l(,i1 1l(,r( ,,ii,trrl rlrcformof
r,\1 ,)l r1tr 1,,,,,r1,,,,,,,.r1(,,r,'1,, .1,,
t'
, !ll ., ,li)i' l(,1 rr ,li,l for
,'..
n
Ffl
ffi
FI
&1
fr
F,t
h;
ff
s
H
t
BT
,l:
H
H
Fl
r
ii'
i
l
I
:fl
i
di
I
cvcn l<e the wood we used for rhe besr p ecesrwirlnuc. I chose lighr-
coored ash for my bed and clpboard,and I made drem so that they
looked good on allsides,with tre sxme wood ard rhe same carefulworl(
bicl( and front.I disregarded the us!al pra.tice of expending ess rlme
and care on rhe bac< becaLse no o1e ever sees it afyway At long lxst
was able to round off the edges only s ghdy withouc be ng con ecled,
running the sandpaper swiftly and liShtly ovo thc cdgcs to sofrcf thc
sharpncss without los ng the elegafce ind fifeness of r ic ncs I bir.,l/
rouched the corners where three edges meer lfrrcd th. noc,r ol r r.
clpboard into thc franre rt the front w.h . nnxinr,rr ol
1,,
r,t rhrr r|
Lratitclosed almosthermellcally,wi$ r gentlc fr ctlorii .s \r.i n,,ri,l
r barely audib e sound of escaping aiL
I fe .8ood worl(ing on this cupboard. l.irk ng rhc pro. lrly f rrir)t
t()
ril l
rnd exacc shapes to form a who e, a conrp erc oblc.r drit cor rcspofd.d
ro my iffer vislof,tiigSe cd in nre a state ot rrrefse co.cenr_ir on.rnd
'
fr .,dpe(eof t'.
'(r-
rdd-d I rp lr'
6 The der s rhe fo owing:a ong,naffow bloc< ofbasa r stone project
ig. good drree stories out oftre ground.The block is hol owed orr on
, I sides until on y a ong middle
-ib
and a nunrber of n'ansverse, hor
/,lrnlribs cmilf.Sccf lf cross scction.tlre ima8ned bloc( row loo(s
l,
(!
r geomerr cirl o ee oi dre errer T wirh three hor zonta srrokes:a
rrori. oblccr of rrc o'rts<lrrs of rhc O nTow r dirk. r nostbick, rat.
|,,r,,,rt
r,,(l rr ,( ,).,, h.,r,,)tin.l ipitrr srrr.nrrc
,,1 .L rri.. \k),y hrrl,lL
1
,, ,,1.,.1,i,"1
(,,,i,
rr.l,r r',,,,\.v,!
'.1i,!lwr,,r{)!
,,,l.w,rli. l.', ,Lr , 1, ,.,.111 w,! L),,,i, r/1,.
,'jrrirrl", rirli, rli r
',,
,,,
',r,
I
t,'
tl
the material.We hand e th s stone sculpture with the utmost care, for
even at this stage it is already almost the whole buildinS We design the
joints of the boards in whlch it is cast like a fine network coverlng al
rhe surfaces wlth a regular pattern,and we are carefLrlto ensure lhat the
ioints
arisins duringthe section-wise casting ofthe concrete wil dis:P-
pear into the network.The thin steel frames
Proiecrlng
from the stone
il(e b ades in the middle ofthe door are intended to hold the wings of
the doors.and lighrwe ight
Slass
and sheet metal
Panels
are inserted be-
rween the stone consoles of the floor slabs so that the intermediate
spaces between the .ibs become rooms !ike glazed verandas
Our clients are of the oplnion that the careful way in which we treat
our materials, the way we develoP the
join.s and trans tions from one
element ofthe building to the orher,and the
Precision
of detail lo which
we aspireare a Itoo elabo rate.Th ey want us to Lrs
ponents and con struc.ions, they do not want us to make such h gh de-
mands on the craftsmen and technicians who are co laborating wlth us:
they want us to bu ld more cheaply.
When I !hink o{ the alr ofquality.hat the building cou d eventually cma-
nate on its appointed site in five yeare o. five decades,whe'r I conslder
that to the peop e who will encounter lt,the only thlng thal will count
is wha! they see,thal whlch was finally constructed, I do no. find it so
hard to put up a resistance ro our clients' w shes
7 I .evkited $e ha I wlth the nichc n lhe end wa I thrt I liked so much
and which I t-icd ro describc c licf I was fo orrScr nric whcthcr rhe
floor of rhc rii(h. wrs ici ly on r hithcr lcvc rli., r drc icst ot the hrll
It wis ri.n N,,r wr! rli(
(
1ff( ui( c r r l)r
111,r,,,\(
li, rw{!ri rlir rii.hc rrr(l
the ha I ns great as I remembered ir, afd I was disappointed by the dull
ghr on the wall paneling.
This djfference between the rea ity and my memor es did not surprise
nre. I have never been a good observer, and I have never really wnnted
ro bc.I I ke absorblng moods, moving in sparial s tuarions,and I am satis-
fcd when llm able ro reta n a feeling,a sLrong genera impression from
which can later extract detalls as from a palnt n8,and when lcan won-
(
cr whar t was rh:t triggered rhe sense of prorecrion, warm$, light
r.ss, or spac ousness thai has stayed in my nremory.when ook back
lic fiis itseems impossible to dist nguish becween archilecture and ife,
licrween spatial siruations and the way I experience them. Even when I
, ,)hccntra.e exclusive y on the architecture and try to undersrand whar
I l,.,ve seen, my perception of it resonates in whar I havc cxpcriefccd
rl$rs colors what I have observed. l"lem ories ofsimilar exper ences
r ,,, st the r way in, too, and thus mages of related ar.h tectural situa'
,ris ovcr ap.The difierence in the floor leve s of the niche and the ha I
, ,, (
well hnve existed. Perhaps it even d d exist once and was ater re'
Lr )vlrl? Or,lf it was never there, perhaps l. shou d be added, as an im-
)r ,vrrircnt to the room?
l.l,,w lrrvc fallen back into my io c as an architcct, and I reaLlze once
,i ,,, 1rcw ,,,uclr I e,rioy working w th my o d passions and rnages, and
'
,w r[.y hc p me ro find whit I .m looking foi
The Body of Architecture
Obseryations, impressions
I I was interviewed by the curator ofthe museum. He tried to sound
me out by means of clevei unexpected questions.What did I think
abour dr(hIecLUre. whar was rrrportanL to rre aboL!
.ny worl-these
wre the thinSs he wanted to know.The tape recorder was on.I did my
best. At the end of the interview. I realized that I was not really satis-
fied with my answers.
Lnter that evening,l talked to a friend aboutAki Kaurismekil latest film.
I admire the director's empathy and respect for his chancters. He does
not l(eep his actors on a leashihe does not exploit them to express a
concept,but rather shows them in a lightthat lets us sense thir diSnity,
ind their secrets. Kaurismeklk art lends his films a feeling of warmth,
I cold my colleague and then I knew what it was I would have liked
ro have said on the tape this morning.To buid houses like Kaurismeki
makes films thatt what I would li<e to do.
2 The hotel in which I was staying was remodeled by a French star de-
slgner whose work I do not know be.ause I am not interested in trendy
dcslgn.
gut
from the moment I entered the hotel,the atmosphere cre-
iEed by his architecture began to rake effeci Artlficial ight illuminated
dro halllil(e a siage.Abundanr muted lL8ht. B right accen ts on the recep-
rlon desks, ditferent kinds of naturil slone ln niches n the wall. Peo-
plo iscending the graceful stairway to tlro orclrclinS gallery stood out
iSnlns! a shinlng golden will. Abov6, ofio corld slt ln one of lhe dress
5l
c rcle boxes ove look ng thc ha I and havc a drinl. or r snrc
(.There
are
only good scats here. ChristopherAlexander,who speaks n Pdft.r,ldn
guo.qe ofspatialsituarons n whlch p.op c ifsrinctlvcly fce good,wo!d
hrvc bccn p cased.Isxt in a box overoo<ing the hall,a specrator,fcel
l.! rhat was pirrtofrhc designcr sstagcsct.l l<ed loo(jn8 dowf on
rhc .ctiv ry bc ow wlrere people came ind went, entered ind ex red.
Ie r I
(rf.erstood
why the aichitecr is so suc.cssful.
3 She had seen a smallhoL se by Fian. Lloydwrght drar nrrdc aSrext
inrpress on on hcr, said H. lts sosma and iitimale, the
cel lngs so LowThere was a riny bmry with special ighr ng and a ot of
de.orarive arch rectLral e cmcfrs.and tlre wro e house nrxde a slfong
horLzonta impress on which she had never exper iefced bcforc.The old
lady was stil lving rhcrc.Thc-c was lro need for nre to go and see the
housc, I rhought.
(llew
lust
whft she mearrt, and knew th fcling of
''home
rhat she descrLbcd.
4 The member of $e jury wc c showf buid fts by rrch cects com-
peri'rg for an architecrural award. I srL d ed the documents dcso lbing
a smalL red house n a rural setting, a barn converted fto a dwe ng
which lrad beef en arged by rhe irchire.r and dre ifhab nnts.Thc cx
rens on was a success,l rho!tht.Akholgh you co! d see wh.r ha.l been
done ro rhc lrolsc beneath the s..ldle iool rhe .hinge wrs we lnod
eled afd nregrared.The window opc r fgs wcrc scn!li vcly p icc.l.l-lrc
old and rhc few werr. bi iir(e.l ]r.l h nFnoLr.Tlrc rcw pirrs of c
ho!se. . n.n .ee,n fti b. iiyrrt lri i(w L,r r .irlif i,i,
t,i,
t
(n
rli.
ncwwlrol, l N,,rl[,r,'" ,'rli,,it..,, i,,| llir..l
l)f
l,.,t) ,,,,, ,,,i,,\,1,,1 ,,,,r, r,,ii, ,t ,,','
',
"l'
l'.',,',.1t,
.
-
.:
:
t
i'
l,
i.,
I
i
proach atluned to crafrsmanship.We agreed that we could not awad
th s conversion a prize for design forthat,itsarchitecrura cialmslvere
too modest.Yet I enioy th nl(ing bacl( on the sma red house.
5 ln a boo< about timber construct on, my attention was caught by
photographs of huge areas ofclosely packed tree trunks f oating on wide
expinses of water.I : so li<ed the plcture on the cover of the bool(, a
co lase of lenslhs of wood arransed in layers li(e a cross section.The
n!merous photos of wooden buildings, despite the fact that they were
architecrurally commendable,were less appea ing. have no. bui rwood-
en houses for a long time.
A young coleague asked me how I wou d go about bu lding a house of
wood after wor<ing for some years wlth stone and concrete, steel and
glass.At once,lhad a menca image of a house-sized block of solid t m-
ber,a dense volume made of the biological subs.ance of wood,ho.izor
caly layered and precisely hollowed out.A house il(e this would change
its shape, would swel and conrract, expand and decrease n height, a
phenomenon that would have to be an integral part of the deslgn.lYy
yoLrng co eag!e told nre that in Spanish, his mother tongue, rhe words
wood, mother, and materia were simiar: modera, modre, moterio.We
star.ed ta king abolt the sensuous qualities and cultural slgni{icance of
the elemental materials of wood and stone. and abou! how we could
express these ln o!r buildings.
5 Central Pad< Sorrh, NcwYor <, r hall of thc firsr flooi lt was cvcfing.
Before me,framed bythe soarirS,sh r)ir)g,scony c ry, iy.hc l)lgc wood-
ed reclinglc of rhc pir
(
Grcir citics c brsc.l on
trcrr.
clcir,wcll ord
erc.i cof ccp(r. l rli(nr)t I l hc r ccrrrrJtL rr'
t,
It|r r,'1 rlrr !rr cer\ tlic di
agonal line of Broadway, the coaslal lnes of the perjnsu a.The bu ld-
ifgs, pacl(ed densely ln cheir right angled
Srid,looming
up in rhe sky,ln-
d vidualisric, in love with themselves, anonymous, ieckless,tamed by the
straltjacl(et of the grid.
7 The former townhouse looked somewhat lost in the park- lke ex
panse.lrwas rheonLyblilding n thatpartof thetown co have s!rvved
rhe destruction of the Second world War Previously used as an em
bassy. ir was now being en arged by a third of ics orlginaL size according
ro rhc plans of a competent architect. Hard and se f-assured, che exten
s on stood slde by side with the old buildinS:on lhe one hand a hewn
'rone
base,stucco fatades.and balusrrades,on.he other a comprcssed
n)ode[n annex made ofexposed concrete,a resn-ained,d sc plined vo -
rnre rhat alLrded to the o d main bullding while maintaining i d scifct,
(lr
ogic distance in terms of lts design.
I fo!nd myselfthinl(ing about the old castle in my vilage.lt has been al-
lcrcd and extended many times over the centuries, developing grad!-
r ly fr-om a c uster offree-stand ng bui dings lnro a closed complex wl!h
!, |rrer courlyard. A new arch tectural whole emeEed at each stage
i,frrs dcvc opment. Historlcalincongruities were not architectural y re-
, .rdcd.The old was adapred to .he new or the new ro rhe o d, in the
rrtrcsr ofthe conrplete,integrared appeamnce ofits latest stage ofevo-
L r on On y when ore ifa yzcs thc s!bstance of che walls, strips them
1)f r lir r p rsrr, rnd cxflrincs dre i
iolfls
do drcsc old blildings reveal
L !'"
( ("irP
.!
Scncsis
llli,,i1i,,{,(!rli{,.xliil)iri,)rl[vrL,,r(),i,, irt i lwi.(,,rfro]rrcdby5oP
,,)l w.,ll\.|.rrr({l
I'Ir
rr
,. ,.Lrr
II r '. 1,,,, ,,,,1r.r,1
I,
iyfLrly r,,l}llifrl
battens and ropes hanging,leaning,fl oatinS,or pulling,taut or protecting-
The composition disclaimed the rlght-angle and soughc an informal bal-
ance.The architecture made a dynamic impression, symbolizing move'
ment.lts geslures filled the avaiable space,wanting to be looked at, to
mnke their marl.There was hardly any room eft for me.I fo lowed the
wlnding path indicrted by the architecture.
ln the next pavilion I met with the spacious elegance of the BraziLian
master Niemeyer! sweeplnS lines and forms. Once again, my interest
lyas captured by the large rooms and the emptiness of rhe huge out
door spaces in the photos of his work.
9 A.told me she had seen many tattooed women on the beach ofa small
seaside resort in rhe CinqueTerre region, a holiday destination visited
mainly by ltalians.The women underline the individualty of their bod-
ies, use them to proclaim their ldentlty.The body as a refuge in a world
which would appear to be flooded by artificial signs of life.and in which
philosophers ponder on
yirtual
rea iry.
The human body as an object ofcontempomry art.Surveys,disclosures
that seek knowledge, or the human body as a fetlsh of self-assertion
that can only succeed when looked at in the mirror or seen through
the eyes of others?
This autumn lvisited the room with the exhibltlon ofcontemporary ar-
chitectula proiecls from France.l sawshiningobjects made of
I
ass,gen-
tle shapes without edges.Taut,elegant curves round ng offthe
8eometri-
calvolumes ofthe objects arspecifc poinLs.The I lines reminded me of
Rodln s drawings of nudes :rnd endowed drc oblccis with the q!r l.y of
sculpcures.Architecruml nrodc s. Modcls BoiLrtihrl bodics,.clcbmr ons
of s!l.f:rcc lcxtrrr,
,J<in,lrcr
nrct c iri(l fl,rwlcs\ cnrl)rr( ru' I lic bodrcs.
I 0 A glass partition divided up rhe length of the rarrow corridor of the
old hotel.The wing ofa door below, a firmly fixed pane ofSlass above, no
frame,the panes c amped and held ar the comers by two metal clasps.
Normally done, nothing special- Certain y not a design by an architect.
B!! l(ed the doorwas it because ofthe proporrions ofthe rwo panes
of glass, the form and position of the clamps, the gleaming of the
I
ass
I che muted co ors of the darl( corr doi or was it because the upper
pnne of g ass, which was tal er rhan the average-height s$/ing door be-
ow it, emphaslzed the height ofthe corridor? did notknow.
ll lwas shown some photographs ofa complicated buidinS. Different
areas, planes,and volumes seemed to overlap, s anting and erect,encap-
sulated one wlrh n the orhenThe bullding,whose unusual trppearance
Save
me no clear indication as !o ics function, made a srrangely over-
loaded ard torru.ed impresslon. Somehow, it seemed two-dimens ona.
For I moment I thought I was lool(ing at a photograph of a cardboard
model,colo llly painted.Lateiwhen I earnedthe name of thearchi-
rect, was shoc<ed. Had I made a mista<e, a prematurej ignorant
i!dg-
ment? The architecrs name has an international r n8, his fine archtrec-
tlral draw ngs are we I known, and his wrjtten starements about con-
temPorary archirecture,which also deal with ph losophical themes, are
widely pub ished.
l2 Atownhouse ir l,lanhatlan wi$ a
Sood
addiess,i!st comp ered.The
new faeade in rhe ine of $e sn ccr of build ngs srood out disl fctly. lf
the phoroSr:rphs, rhc nir! r sroncsliicd,srnoundcd byshss, oo(cd
L l<c a brckdrop ln cr iLy.il,chcrdewis lior.
(
| i()|ir, irorc iIrcgrircd
in irs sLllrr ,i, |ti, ljy Ii!llrrr l()
(l
r
(r/(
v,l,r\1,(!iwlrr,,, l(,,ir{,rc.l lhc
holrse.The quality of rs construction captured my attention.The archi-
cect received us.took us into rhe vestibu e, and showed us from room
ro room.The rooms were spacious,their order ogica.We were eager
to see each succeeding room, and we were not disappointed.The qual-
ity ofrhe day lght enterlng through the glazed rearfagade and a sl(ylight
over the stairs was pleasant. On all the floors, the presence of the lnr -
male back yard arolnd which the ma n rooms were grouped was per-
ceptible, even at the heart of the blr lding.
The architec! spol(e n respectflrl, amicable terms of the clien.s, the
fewly installed resldents, of their understand ng of his work, of h s ef
forts to comply with thelr requiremenrs, and o{ their ciitic sm of sornc
impracLica aspects which he subsequenty improved. He opened c!p-
bo?rd doors, owered rhe large scrim blinds, which suffuscd thc livifg
room wirh a mellow light,showed us fo dlng partitions,and demonstrac-
ed huge swing doors tha! moved no se ess y berween rwo pivors, clos
fg rlghtly and prclsely. Every now and then, he touched the surface of
some marerial or ran his hands over a handrai , a
joint in the wood, $e
cdge of a glass pane.
l3 Thc towr I was vlsitng had a partic! arly attractjve neighbor-
rood. Bu dlngs from lhe l9th cenlury and rhe rurn of the centu
ry. so d voumes placed alofS the streets and squares, constructed
,)f srone xnd brick. Nothing excep! onal. Typically urbaf.The public
prcnrises on rhe ow.r floo s frccd thc rord, rhc dwe lngs ard offic-
.i rbove reffeired bch r.l prorccr vc fi(r.l.s, hidifg pr vrte spheres
l{rli nd prcstisious frrg, rr,,ryrr,,r.. lrrr.r r Ir y
(lvorccd
frorn
rl,.
l),,lni{
\1,,({, wli(li lr!t.,ri wr r lrr ,1 ,,111. ,r rr. Ioot oI tlrc
I had ben told that a number of architects lived and worl(ed ln chis
nejghborhood. I remembered this a few days later when I was looking
at a new neighborhood nearby.designed by welL <nown archltects,and I
found rnyselfthinklng about the unequivocal backs and fronts ofthe ur-
ban s!.Lrctures,the precisely art cula!ed public spaces,the graciously re-
srra ned fatades and exactly fittlng volumes for the body of the town.
l4 We spent years developing the concept, the form, and the work
ng drawings ofour sto ne-bu ilt thermal baths.Then construction began.
I was standing in front of one of the first b ocl(s that lhe masons had
built in stone from a nearby quarry. I was slrrpr sed and irritated. Al-
though everyth ng corresponded exacry with our plans, I had not ex
pected this conc!rrent hardness and softness, lhls smooth yet rugged
quality,.his ridescent gray-8reen presence emanating from .he sqLare
stone blocks. For a moment, I had the fee ing that our proict had es-
caped us and become independent because it had evolved nro a ma
teria entity that obeyed irs own laws.
l5 I vislted an exhibltion ofwork by Mere! Oppenheim at the Guggen-
heim MLrse!nr.The techniques she uses are s.rll(ingly varied.There is
no continuous,consistent style. Neverthe ess, I experienced her way of
thinking,herwayof lool(ngattheworldafd of interveningin !rhrough
her wod(,as coherent and integra. So there is probably no poift n won-
derlng
iust
what it is that slylisr cilly links thc fanro!s fur cup and the
snal(e made up ofpieccs ofcorl.Dldn r Meretoppenhcim once snythrt
every dea nccds its proper fonn ro bc cffcctivc?
f
I
i
Teaching Architecture, Learning Architecture
Young people go to university with the aim of becoming architects,
of finding out if they have got what it takes.What is the first thing we
should teach them?
First of all, we must explain that the person standing in front of them
is not someone who asks questions whose answers he already knows.
Practiclng architecture is asking oneself questions, findlng ones own
answers with the help of the teacher,whittling down,findinS solutions.
Over and over again.
The strength of: good design lies in ourselves and in our ability to per-
ceive thewor d with both emotion and reason.Agood architect!ralde-
sign is sensuous.A good architectural design ls intelligent.
We all experience architecture before we have even heard the word.
The roots of architectural understanding lie in our architectural ex-
prience: our room, our house, our street, our
yillage,
our town, our
lafdscape-we experience them all early on, unconsciousLy, and we
subscquently compare them with the countryside, towns, and houses
rhic we experience later on.The roots of our understanding of archi-
rccture lie in our childhood, in our youthrthey lie ln our biography. Stu-
,lcftshrvero earn !o work conscious y with lheir personal biograph-
lci cxperlences of archllecture.Their rllotred tasl(s are devised !o set
ltr s process in morion.
Wc nr.y wonder whit ic was that wc likcd ibout rhis house, this rown,
wlnr it was thic imprcsscd rn(l l()rr ln,,l rr\ urr(l wlry.\^r'hir wis the
I
room like,the square,what did it realy iook like,what smellw:s in the
air, what did my footsteps sound like in it, and my voice, how did the
foor feel under my feet,the door handle in my hand, how did the light
strike the faeades, what was the shine on the walls likel Was there a
feelng of narrowness or width, of intimacy or vastness?
Wooden floors like light membranes, heavy stone masses, soft texti es,
polshed granite, pllable Leather, raw steel. polished mahogany, crystal-
llne glass, soft asphalt warmed by the sun... the arch tect\ materials,
our materials-We know them all.And yet we do not know them.ln or-
der to design,to invent architecture,we must learn to handle them with
awareness.This is researchtthis is the work of remembering.
Architecture is always concrete mattenArchitecture is not abstract, but
concrete.A plan, a project drawn on paper is not architeture but mer-
ely a more or less inadequate representation of arch itectu re, compara-
ble to sheet muslc.l'1usic needs to be performed. A rch itectu re needs
to be executed.Then its body can come into being-And this body ls al
]
All de\,8n wo l. \'rfls r'om Lhe o,e- \e or rl ,\ D ,ysk rl. obre( ,ive se, -
sJoJsress of architecrLre. of !s naterials.To e/perierce archirecru.e
l
I
ln a concrete way means to touch, see, hear, and smell it.To discoyer
l:nd
consciouslv work w!n rhese aualicies rhese rre rhe rhemes of
Lour
teachins.
All the design worl( in the studio is done with materia s. lt always alms
directly at concrete things, obiects, installacions made of real material
(clay, stone, copper, stee , fe t, cloth, wood, plaster, brick).There are no
cardboard mode s.Accun ly,no models at all in the convenc onal sense,
bur concrctc obiccts, th|cc d mcnsiorrr wor
(s
oh i spcciflc sca c.
The drawing ol scale plans also beg ns with the concrete object, thus
reversing the order o{"idea-plan-conc.ete object", which is stand-
ard practice in professional architecture. First the concrete objects are
constructedi then they are drawn to scale.
We carry imaSes ofworks ofarchitecture by which we have been nflu-
enced around with us.We can re-invoke these images in our mind\ eye
and re-examine them. But this does notyet make a new design.new ar-
chitecture. Every design needs new images. Our"old" images can only
help us to find new ones.
Thinkingin images when designing is always directedtowards thewhole.
By its very nature,the image is always the whole of the imagined real-
lry:wal and floor, ceiling and materials, the moods of liSht:nd color of
a room, for example.And we also see all the details of the transltlons
lrom the foor to the wall and from the wall to the window. as if we
were watching a fiLm.
Often however,they are not simply there, these visual elements of the
inrige, when we start on a design rnd try to form an image of the de-
sircd object.At the beginning of the design process, the image is usualy
incomp ete.So we try repeatedly to re-trrticu ate and clarify ourtheme,
ro idd the missing parts to our imagined picture. Or,to put it another
wry:we design.The concrete, sens uou s quality ofour inner image helps
Lrs here. k helps us not to ge! losc n arid, absrract theoretical assump-
rionsiir helps us not to lose rrack oftlre concrete q!allties of architec-
rurc.lr hclps us not to fal in love with the gr.phic quality of our draw
urlts ird to confuse ! wi$ rcir irch tccturil qui ily.
I'rrxhr. rg inncr intgcs s r rrrtLrtrl
Ptotrsrr<,trrrontocveryone.lris
1,,r
1 of tlrrikidt.A\!o.iiriv., wi(l fi
(\
, { , r , I
( ,
r
( ! L , r r i
(
I \ysrcnrirc thinking
,@'
in images. in architectural, spat a , colorfrl, and sensuoLs p ct!res rhis
s my favorlrc definlt on of des gn.
i4I ;r
-i
I
I
Does Beauty Have a Form?
Apricottrees exist.ferns exist,and blackberries, too. But beauty? ls beau-
ty a concrete property of a thing or an object that can be described
or named, or is it a state of mind, a human sensation? ls beauty a spe-
cial fee ing inspired by our perception of a specia form, shape, or de-
sign?What is lhe nature of a thing th:t sparl(s a sensatlon of beaLrty, that
gives us a feelinS at a certaln moment of experiencing beauty, of seeing
beauty? Does beauty have a form?
I Music interrupts my writing. Peter Conradin is istening to a Char es
Mingus recordlng of the 50s. A particular passage has caught my a!-
.ention, a passage of great intensity and freedom in the calm, almost
earthy sweep of its slow rhythm. ln the pulse of that rhythm, the ten-
or saxophone spea<s in warm and rough and leisurey tones that I
xlmost understand-word by word. Booker Erwin, the sound of his
horn hard and compressed, shrill but not brittle, porous despite the
densityi dry pizzlcatos in Mingus's bass; no erotic, greasy groove"
rhrt seeks to disarm and conquer.The music, thus heard, might give
rhe mpression of sounding stift But it isn't. lCs wonderful. lncredibly
bcilriful, my son and I s.y, almost in unison, as we ook at each oth-
ci I liscen.Themusic dmws me in. k is r spice. Colorfu and senslr-
r . w rh depih rnd movcrncnL I inr irNidc r For r rnoment, nothing
2 A painring by Rothko,vibrant fields of color, pure abstraction.To me
it's only a question ofseeinS,a pure y visual experience,she says. Other
sensualimpressions like smellor so!nd,materials or the sense oftouch
don't play a role.You enter the picture you're looking at.The process
has something to do with concentration and medihtion. lt is ike me-
dlration, but not with an empty mind.You're fully aleft and aware. Con-
centration on the picture sets you free,she says.You reach another lev-
3 The intenslty ofa briefexperience,the feelingofbeing utterly suspend-
ed in time,beyond past and future this belongs to many, perhaps even
to all sensations of beauty. Something that has the radiation of beauty
srrikes a chord in me, and later, when lt is over, I say: I was completely
at one with myself and the wor d, at first ho ding my breath for a brief
moment,then utterly absorbed and immersed,filled with wonder,fee -
ingthe vibrations. effo ftlessly excited and calm as we l,enthralled bythe
m:gic of the appearance that has struck me. Feelings of joy. Happiness.
The countenance of a sleepinS child, unaware of being watched. Serene,
undisturbed beauty. Nothing is mediated. Everything is itselt
The flow of time has been halted, experien ce cryst: ized lnto an image
whose beauty seems to indicate depth.While the feellng lasts,I have an
inkling ofthe essence ofthings,oftheir most univeEa prcperties.lnow
suspect that these lie beyond any categorles of chought.
4 The Renaissance theater inV cenza. Sleep rows.The wood worn and
aged, great intimacy. A powerfu snse o{ spacc, iftcrsity. Everything is
ri8ht, she srys, so :rmizin8, so nirurnl, I kc i hirnd.
And :ter, the villa on the hill: She wa l<s through the countryside and
suddenly sees a
jewel that tal<es her breath away. The building is ra-
diant.As if it belonged to the LandscaPe and the landscaPe belonged
5 The beauty ofnaturetouches us as something grat that
Soes
beyond
us. Man comes from nature and returns to it.An inkling of the rneasure
ofhuman life within the immensity ofnature wells uP inside us when we
come upon the beauty of a landscaPe that has not been domesticated
and carved down to hurnan scale.We feel sh e ltered, humble and proud
at once.\ /e are in nature. in this immeasurable form that we will never
understand and now, in a moment of heiShtened experien.e, no onger
need to because we sense that we ourselYes are
Part
of it
I look out into the landscapei I gaze at the sea on the horlzon,look ar
the masses ofwateril walk across the fields to th acaciasil look at the
elder blossoms,trt the
juniper tree and become still
She ls bathing in the Sicilian sea and dives under water Her heart miss-
es a beal.A huge fish passes close by, silent and infinltely slow lts move-
ments are untroubled and powerful and elegant.They have the self-evi-
dence of miLlennia.
5 Sh e loves beautifu shoes. S he adm ires th e craftsmansh iP the material
and above al the r shape,thelr lines.She lil(es lookingalshoes,notwhen
people wear them but is obiec$ whose shaPe is strictly defined by use
and whose beaury tmnsccnds pricricil dcminds unti they conre full cir-
cle and say to her: Usc rnc,wcir nrc. Thc bcarrty of r utilitirian obiect
is thc hishcst foor of borrty, slx rrklt
!.
7 As long as I can remember. I have a ways experiefced thc bcauty of
in artifacr, an obiect created by maf as a special presence of form, as
r self'evident and self-confident hereness that is intr nsic to rhe obje.t.
Sometimes when such an object asserts itself in nature, I see beauty.
Thc building, city, house, or street seems consc ously placed. lt gener-
irtes a place.Where ir stands, there is a bacl< and a fron., there is a left
ind a rlghr,there is closeness and distance.an inside and outslde.there
d e lorms that focus and condense or modify the landscape.The result
Tlrc obiect and its environmen!:r consonance of nature and irrficii
y .ieaced work that ls dlfferenr from the pure bea ty of natrre irnd
.l ffcrcnt fiom the pure beauty of an object. Architeclure, the nrorhcr
{l 5 re is shnding with a group of younger people, mosty architects.
lr's dr zz ngi rhe a r is warm.The men and women are standing in che
, ,rl tyard ofa vi i.Theiropen Lrmbrellas and sweeping, un bu lro ned in
,,,,rs lend rhem an ai. of cosmopo iran e egance.The daylight arolnd
r rc
11orp
is mild. Lighc from above shines through a sofr gray ce ing of
, l,,Lras drat co! d be interpreled as a thic< ayer of fog. l. transforms
,',. ir frrc riifdrops into particles of ght.The lindscape is f lled with
I i,. lri cs of thc nrcf rnd wonren standinB I rcre scenr serene.With un-
,1,,,(!1..r1,,,(xt cir!,il ..,n.lrr rn.c, rhcy lrkc rrr drc statey manor, the
,
'1,'iy,rl
rlrco'rtlro(scs,tlr.(J]r,,,w,,|,,,)lr,i,w,oL,ltlir rongitr.O.-
, ,.,)
'.,llyr(!rr.{,
!
|1,!,,(,!.,r
r r l,llt (,i,,ir
I,,,1(,
l'1,,,1 ,1.,!.,Tlir.ob
,..r,,,it,, llrt,,,r,,1y,,1.r1,,.,..-,,,t1,',. t
rr.'!r,\t),,rr'
E
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*.I
I
I
meadow glisten.The meandering gaze seeks the way to theVilla Roton-
da ofAndrea Palladio,wh ch is supposed to be nearby.The sce're has be-
come a Lasting image in her memory. She has written about it.
9 I remember the experience othouses,villages,cities,and Landscapes,
abolt whlch I now say they lent me an impression of beauty. Did these
slruations also seem beautiful to me at the tlme? I think so. but l'm not
quite sure.The impression came {irst,l suppose,and retlection fo lowed.
And I l(now that certain things were not invested with beauty until af-
terwards, through sLrbsequent impulss, conversations with friends, or
conscious exploration ofmy stillaesthetically unclassified recollections.
I can also respond to beauty that others have experienced. I assimilate
the impression it has made on them if I am ab e to create an image in
my mind ofthe beauty others tell me about.
Beauty aLways appea.s to me in settings,ln clearly delimited pieces of
reality, objectl ike or in the manner of a still ife or like a self"contained
scene, composed to perfection without the least tr:ce of effort or ar-
tificiality. Everything is as it should be;everything is in its place. Norhing
jars, no overs.ated arranSement, no crt que, no accusation, no alien ln-
tentions; no commentary, no meanlng.The experience is unintentional.
What I see is the thing itself.lt captivates me.The pict!re that I see has
the effect of a composition that appears extreme y nacunl to me and
at the same t me extreme y artful in its naturalness.
l0 Sheturnsthecornerofasmal shed rnd sces the new bui ding for
the firsr time. She comes ro a halci rscon shed, electrificd. Something
about.he wiy drc pilared bLilding is stin.ling tlrcrc, the wiy ir is mide
of porous stone and glass and fine-ringed wood and the way ir forms a
arge courtyard with its older neighbors the new body set down with
non-geometrical precision in the ba ance ofthe masses and materials of
the place imparts fee ings of attraction and aura. of enersy and pres-
ence.lt seemed as ifeverything l saw was in a state of balanced suspen-
sion.And the body o{the new building seemed to vibrate,she said.
I I He ls standing in the porral ofSanAndrea in lYantua.A tall portico of
light and shadow, single rays of sun on the pilasters.A world of its own,
no longer city but not yet the lnterior otthe church. Pigeons are flying
high up in shadowy regions where the carved figures and moldings fade
out of si8ht.I hear but do not see them. Darkness abounds.The light
thar penetrates reveals fine particles of dust in the airThe air is thick,
almost tactile- t seems as if the thinSs under the portico in which I am
sranding, things more sensed than seen, have energized each other, as if
rhey were in a unlque state of mutuality, he says.
l2 Our perception is visceral. Reason plays a secondary ro e.I think
we mmediarely recognize beauty tha! is a product of our culture and
cor csponds to our education.We see a form framed and condensed
inro an emblem, r shnpe or a design, which touches us, which has the
(tuility
of beinga grear dealand possibly everything in one:self evident,
tn
ofound, myster o!s, stimulating, exciting, suspenseful...
Wlrcdrer the ippearance th.r touches nre iea ly is beaurifu cannot be
ropcrly
iudgcd
by thc form 15c f bccirsc thc dcpth of fcclinS thac be-
r) ,ll\ ro thc scfsir on ol bci'rry i! rr,r iltrilrr.l by rlrc fofln is slrch but
r,rr icr by rhc spirk rhir
irrrt,\
fi,nri I r,, rI
I
Blt beauty cxis6 a rlrouglr it mnkcs rc irivcly rare xppeiraices xnd
freq!entyinunexpecredpaces.Wh e i orher places where we woLrld
exPec! r, rh stoaPPean
Can bcaury b designed a rd mxde?Whit are the ftr es rhar gu antee dre
beiruty ofour prodL ctsi l(nowlng iboL r coLfterpoint,harmon cs,the thc
oiy ofcolo rthc Go dcf Sccrion a!rd formfolowsfLrnctior'isiotenolgh.
McLho.s irnd devices a rhose wonderiu lnsn !menls are no substi
nrr. fo cofr.ni noi do thcy gLamntc. rhc inaglc of a beautifu wltole.
l3 lYy las< as a designr is diff.ult bydcfinron lt srclatcdroa_r
stry afd nchieve nent, intu tion and craf.rmanship. B!t a so ro commit'
men., authentic ty, ind a deep nrerest in s!bjec! nrarrer
To ach cvc bcalry I rnusr be ar one wirh rnyse f.l mlst do m/ own thlrg
n rd fo otrer because rhe parr cular subsnnce thir recognizes beaL ry
andcan.wi.h rck, create it lies withif me. On thc orher hrnd,rhcthings
I wa rr to crexte r:\ble. house, br dge musr be a owed ro come in.o
rherown.lbe eve every we made rh ng has an lfhe.ent y appr opriatc
order rhat dcrcrnrincs its form.Tlris essence s whit I want to discover
and thereforestic.f flnlyrothematrerathand n thep ocessof de
signifg. I b. l.vc in an accuracy of olt oo < and n trrrr cortent in rea .
sens!a experience, wh ch irre beyond irbsrra.t opinions or de3s
Whardoes this horsc waft ro bccomc.as if obiccrof!sc,is a p rys cn
body, irs riri.e ials f rrnly consrrrcted.'r.llo re.. ts lhirpe fro ded nto
aform rharserves f/Iis< nyscf rrdrsl.sorr.fro cWlritdocsthis
ho!s.wirriobclo L!b(rtbr,)r1r!,riy,r !,. ,r r',,r,1 1,.,, rLrr:
barrerc| rnrlrlt,(,.(n, rli( 1, ,,i 1,(f L,n ,.,r i rl,n
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I 4 "Ap ricot trees exist, apricot rrees exist/ Ferns exisq an d b lacl<ber,
The beginning ofthis essay as wel as the lines that fol ow are indebted
!o lnger Chr stensen, whose poem 'Alphabet" begins with these linesi
her poem builds on the infinitely increas ng rhythm of the Fibonacci
numbers, a condensation of words in which she securcs the world and
Ih^r"by ei"r\es parL cles rl-at ,parJe ana rricrre.
The
lune
night exisrs.The
lune
night exists ...
in this flying summer, no one understands that autumn exis.s,
the aftertaste and the alterthouSht,
too, onLy the dizzying series ofthis
restless ukra-sound exists and the
jade
ear ofthe
bat turned toward the ticl<ing haze;
never has the earths inclination been so splendid,
never the zinc-white nights so white ...
Beauty,l think as I read these lines, is at its most intense when lr is born
of absence. l fi nd something missing,a compell nS expression,an empa-
thy,which lnstant y affects me when I experlence beauty. Before the ex-
perience, I did not realize or perhaps no longer knew that I missed t,
bul now I am persuaded by knowledge renewed rhrt I wi I a wrys miss
it. Lonsins.The exper ence of beir!ty makes me iwirc of ibscf .e.Whar
I experiefcc,whic touchcs nrc. cntiils bodr
ioy
an.l pirin Pi r)ful is rhc
exper ence ofabsence and pure bliss the experjence of a beautifulform
that has been lsnited by the feelins of absence. in the words of wrter
Maftin Walser:"The more we mlss sonrething, the more beautiful may
become that which we have to mobilize ln order to endure absen.el'
..ryl
::
The Magic of the Real
There s the maglc of music.The sonata begins wth the first des.end-
ingmeodic ineof thevola,theplano sets in,andthereltisaLready,the
rismntaneo!s presence of a dlstinct emotionithe atrnosPhere of sound
rhir envelops and touches me,that plts nie in a special mood.
lhere is the magic ol paintlng and poetry, of words and images, there
,\ dre magic of radiant thoughts.And there is the magic of the rea, of
rhe physical.of substance, ofthe things around me thar l see and rouch.
rli,rr smell and hear. Sometlmes, at certain moments, the magc cof
v.ycd by a specific archilecture or landscape. a specific milieu. is sud-
,l(,nly rherei i! has materia ized like the measured growth of che soul,
Lr \ lY;rrndyThursday. l'm sitting n the long loggia of the c oth ha l. Fac
rr,1 rhc panorama of the square, its row of bui d ngs, ts chlrch and its
,ii,rrunients. lYy back to the wall of the cafe.just the rlght amount of
ti,1)l)lc.A
fowcr mar(et.ln lhe sun.lts ll a.nr.The wall on the oppo-
.,r( srdc of rhe squrre lies in shadow, bnthed ln a p easant bluish li8ht.
W,ir.lo{ul sounds: convers.tions close by,footsteps on the flagstons
'
l 1 ic squ c, fie murnrlrinr< ofthe crowd (no cars, no engine noise),
,{r,,. ri i whilcdstantsorfdsof .onslrucLiof.Birds.blacl(dots nflight,
, r,,.y l1)(,1< ciscr flrf .hccdrl,i fist ind
irssc.l
pitrern of lnes lf the air
llr,. r(,
(
,ryi hivc
jrst bcSun irxl \.rrr r(, lnvc slowcd .lowrr $e wil<
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Each carryinga plastic bag.The rem perature is pleasantly invigoraringand
warm at once.I am sltting on a couch upholstered in pate,faded green
velvet.The bronze statue on a high p inth on the square
jn
front of me
has its bac< to me and joins
me in ookingatthe twin{pired church.The
spires each have different pinnaclesj they are identicat when $ey srart
out at the bottom and become increasing y distinct toward the top.One
is taler than che other and has a gold croe/n.Soon B. is goinS to appear
to the right, wall<ing toward me diaSonally across the square.
At the time that I wro.e these comments about the atmosphere ofthe
square. I was urterly enchanted with everythinS I saw Rereading my
notes now I wonder v/hat it was that moved me so much.
Everything!Everything the things.the people,the quality of the air,the
ight,the noises,the sounds and the colors. Material prese nce, tex.u res
and shapes as wel. Forms that I can understand. Contigurations rhat I
can try to read. Physiognomies that strike me as beautifut.
But apart from : I the physica materials, apart from the things and the
peop e, there was something else that touched me was it something
related to me alone, to my rnood, my feelings, nry expectations as I sat
lhere watching and lisreningl
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beho der"-this sentence comes to mind
as I write. Does it mean that everyrhing I experienced at the time was
primarily the expression and the oucflow of my srace of mind, of the
mood that I happened to be in at rhe moment? Did the experjence ut-
timate y have little to do with the square and rs acmosphere?
ln order to answer .hat quest of, conduct a simp c experimenr I dis-
miss the square from
'ny
mind afd che nomenr I do so. a curious thinS
happens: che fcclinSs evokcd by rhc sillririon trcltii ro f,r.tc ird cven
thr&ten to disappearWithout the atmosPhere of the square, I real-
ze I would never have experienced those feelings. Now lt comes bac<
to me:there is an intimate re ationship between our emotions and the
things around us.Thatthought is related to my
job
as an archhect.lwork
at the forms, the physiognomies, at the physlcal
Presence
of the thlngs
that constitute the spaces n which we live.ln my worl(, I contribute to
rhe existing physlcal framewor
(,
to the atmosphere of
Places
and sPac-
es that kindle o!r emotions.
The maglc of the real: that to me is the "alchemy' of rransforming re-
al substances into human sensations, of creating that sPecial moment
when matler, the substance and form of architecrural sPace, can truly
be emotionally appropriated or assimilated.
As an architect, I can construct worl<able ho iday homes, commercir
buildings,or airportsil can buid flats with good lloor p ans rt affordable
p.ices: I can design theaters,trrt museums, or show rooms thar make an
impacti I can app y forms to my buildings that satisfy the need for lnno-
vatlon or novelty, sratus or lifestyle.
It is not easy .o do those things- lt takes worl( And talent. And more
work. But thatalone is not enough to come up with comPelling,success-
fularchirecture bornofthosespecia momentsof
Persona
architectural
experience. and it makes me wonder:can l, as an architect, invest what
I design wlrh whatever it is that actually constltutes the essence of an
architectura atmosphere? Can I create that unique feeLlng of intensi!y
and mood, of prescnce, well-be ng, righl|ess and beauryl ls it
Possible
ro glve concre.e shape to dlt which .lcfincs rhe nrig c of the real at a
specifc lnomcnq ro drc spcll 1li.,r I cists on nry cxpc-iefce of it, con
i(lring
i .tLrility thir I w,,Lr,l rnv,
(n!iw1, (iln,ri(irrcc?
There are small and large. impressive:nd important buildings or com-
plexes that dwarf me,that oppress me, that exclude or reb!ff me. But
there also buidings orensembles ofbuildings.both smallones and mo-
numental ones,that make mefee good,thar make me look good, that
give me a sense ofdignity and freedom,that ma<e me want to st:y awh le
and that I enjoy using.
These are the works I feel passion for.
So e/hen l'rn working,lkeep remindinS rnyselfthat my buildings are bod-
ies and need to be built accordingly: as anatomy and sl<in, as mass and
membrane, as fab ric, shell, velvet, silk.and glossy steel.
Itry to mal<e sure thatthe materials are attuned to each othetthat they
radiatei I take a cerrain amo!nr of oak and a different amount of pietrd
serend and add something to them:three
Srams
ofsilvr or a handle that
turns or maybe surfaces of gleaming glass, so that every combination of
marerials yields a uni!ue composition, becomes an origin"l.
I isten to the sound ofthe space,to the way materlals and surfaces re-
spond to touching and tapping, and to the silence that is a prerequi-
site of hearing.
The temperature of rooms is very important to me.how coolthey are,
how refreshing, the chiaroscuro of warmth that caresses our bodies.
I love thinking about the personal thlngs that pop e surround them-
selves with in order to work.ln order to feel at home and tor which I
create room, sPace, and
Place.
I like the idea of arranginS the inner structures of my buildings in se'
quences of rooms char
Suide
us, cake us places, but also let us go
and seduce !s. Architecrurc s Lhc art of sp:rce :rnd it is the nrt of
rme as well bcrwcen ordcr and f|ccdorr, bcrwccn followifg. pa$
06
and discovering a path of our own,wandering, strolling, being seduced.
I give thought to careful and conscious staging of tension between in-
side and outside,public and intimate,and to rh res holds, transitions, and
And to the play of sca e in architecrure. l"ly dedication to finding the
right size of thlngs is motivated by the deslre to create degrees of in-
timacy, of closeness and distance. I ove p acing materials, surtaces, and
edges, shiny and mat, in the light of the sun, and generating deep so ids
and gradations of shadinS and darkness for the magic of light fal lng on
!h ngs. Unti everything is right.
The Light in the Landscape
The light of the moon
The llght of the moon is a quiet reflection,large, even, and rnild.The
light of the moon comes from far away.That makes l! quiet. I imagine
the shadows that things cast on the earth in the light of the moon im-
perceptibly seeking se paration. Though I cant te I with my bare eyes.
l'm too small or too close to make out the cosmic ang e between the
source of light and the things lt illuminates on earth.
When I start studying light and shadow, the light and shadow of the
moon, the light and shadow of the sun, the light and the shadows pro-
duced by the larnp in my living room, I acquire a sense of scale and di
I have always wanted to write a book about lght. can think of nothing
thar reminds me more of eternity,says Andrzej Stasiu< in his bool( The
World behind Dukla.Events or objects stop or djsappear or colapse un'
der their own weight and when I lool< at them and describe them, he
says, it is only because they refract lght, because they shape it and give
r a form thar we are capable of understand ng.
The light that meets the earth from afar
I wrnL Lo tlrink about .he ar rlficial ght n nry b!ildin8s, in our cities and
in ot]r lifdsc.pes, ind citch nrysc f forcvcr retlr r fg,like a lover !o
rhc obicct of nry idrriritior:tlrc itlir ilrit nrccts tlrc crrdr f om a{ii
thc !rrLokl nLIrbcr5
()f
ll!lr\ \rrL
(
1, or, rrrtt i,rls lr(tLr.ls. srrfi.cs,
colol.s, and shapes that radiate in the light.The light that cornes from
ollside the earth makes the air visib e,l can see it.ln the Upper Enga-
dine in autumn,for example,where the sl(ies are aready southern but
Seen from a great height
Seen from a great helght, the artlficia lights with which people illlrmi-
nate the night have a soothing effect.We ilLuminate our buildings and
streets,we illuminate our planet, ward off litt e pieces of darkness and
create is ands of ight on whlch we can see ourselves and the things that
we have accumulated around us.
Sensing,smellinS,touching,tasting,dreaming in the dark-thatt just not
enough.We want to see. But how much lght do people need in order
.o live?And how much darknessl
ls there a spiritua conditlon or a life conditlon so sensitive that tiny
amounts of llght would be enough to ensure a good life? Or,to go even
further:Are there some thlngs we can experience only in dark, shaded
places, in the darl<ness of night?
Two hunters from San Bernardino,who spent a few days and nights in an
uncivilzed mountaln valley. describe coming home at n ght and oo<ing
down on their illuminated viLlage-the tunne entrance,the gas station,
the cal.s and how the familnr village suddenly seemed pol uted.
Tanizaki
Jun'ichiro,
the author of ln Pro,se of Shodows, once decided
to watch the full moon at the lshiyama Temp e, bur changed his mlnd
when he learned lhat rhey wolld p ay a record ng of rhe Mooniight So-
notd for the enter.ainmenr of the vis Lors .nd insrill irri{ic rl ghts ro
The light of the sun
Myriad small dots of light the stars in the sky,llre{lies in the woods, the
rrtificial lights of nightscapes on earth. Small objects of liSht that radi-
ate or reflect.The glass beads in a ch:ndelier, for example.
The lighr ofthe sun, rhe day, that reaches the sufface o{the eafth from
outer space,ls big and strong and directed. lt is one light.
Darkness lives in the earth
Recently, on a mountain hil(e,A. observed that the co ors of lheA pine
flowers a on8 the path are stil aglow for a little bit after twiliSht has
fallen, as if the flowers had stored the light and now have to release lr,
Darkness lives in the earth.lt rises up out of it and returns !o il lke a
strong breath, I read in Andrzel Stasiu<'s Duklo.
The older I get,the mo.e inrense is my interest in the var ous ways and
forms in which light appears in nature.lam amazed,l learn from that,
and I am aware that it is the light of the sln that il uminates the build-
ings I envision. I hold spaces, materials, textures, colors, sur{aces, and
shapes up to the lSht of the sun: I capture this ight, refect it,filter it,
screen it offi I thin it out to create a usterintherghtspot.Lightasan
agent, L'm familiar with it. But when L really starr thinking about it,I un-
derstand hardly anything.
The light in the landscape
fte Lrghr in e Ld,)ds.ope. Fr ederike lYiyroc<er uses dris imrge to title
i text that secms cxr-cnrcy rr iobiogriplricrl to nrc. lts rn:rny shades
in.l shidows kccp brcrkrrll ,nr rirl u,'(,
'lru
||lir i\ slrc pilcs rp rhc
materi:l of her words layer upon layer, describing and creating inner
and outer landscapes.
Personal landscapes. lmaSes and landscapes of longing, mourning, tran-
quility, joy,lone
iness, sanctuary, ugliness,the pretension of pride, seduc-
fion. ln my meno y Lhe/ all have a li8hc of cheir own.
ls it even possib e to imagine thinSs without light?
Tanizal(iJun'ichiro praises shadows.ln the dark deprhs ofthe traditional
Japanese
home.where shadows crouch in all the corners.the gold of a
lacquer painting glearns,and gentle lighr is diffused through translucent
paper stretched over the delicate wooden frame of a sliding door so
that one can hardly distinguish the source of the daylight that captures
and reflects the objects so beautifully in the half light.
Jun
ichiro praises shadows.And shadows praise light.
Shadowlss modernism
lf I remember righty,l h:ve seen buildings of classical modernism that
celebrate the light and the landscape. Richard Neutra's houses in Cali-
fornia,for example.Shadows do not seem to loom large in these archi-
tectural compositions. But brightness does.light and air and the out-
door view the sensation of liv'ng in the landscape, of having the land-
scape flow into or through the rooms inside the landscape with all of
its llShts trnd shadows.Watching the sun set in these houses is a mag-
niflcent experience. Later,when the house is no longer illuminated from
outside, it has to generate its own liShting, its own illuminated atmo$
phere.With human light.
LosAngeles by night
Seen {rom an approachinS aircraft that is gradually losing altitude, the
nighttime illumination of Los Angeles looks like a magical image. Later,
on the streets of the city,that same light seems pal id and sickly to me,
an unnaturalbrightness in which the green lawns and bushes in thefront
yards ofthe houses lool( as if they were rnade o{ plastic.
Between sunset and sunrise
Between sunset and sunrise. we furnish ourselvs with illumination of
our own making,lights that we can switch on at will.These lights ctrn-
not be compared to daylight;they are too weak and too breathless with
thelr flickering intensities and swiftly spreading shado!vs.
But when I do not thinl< ofthese lights th:t we mal<e ourselves as an at-
tempt to eliminate darkness, when I think of them as nighFtime lights,
as accentuated night,as intimate illuminated cLearings thatwe carve out
of the darkness. then they can become beautiful, then they can haye a
magic all their own.
Which lights do we want to switch on between sunset and sunrisel
What do v/e v/ant to iLluminate in our buildings, cities. and landscapes?
How and for how long?
I
I
I
Awny of Looking atThingt
Le.ture, written November 1933, SC ARC Southern Ca lo nlr nnnute ofArchtectore.
The Hard Core ofBauty
Lecture.wrtten December 99,s/mposum P ran,Sovenia
From a Passion ro.Things to thThingsThemselves
Lecture,wi.tenAuBu$!994,AvarAatoSymposium,A'rhite.tureoftheEssentirl,'
The Body ofAr.hitecture
Lecture,writren Ocrober 996,Symposium FomFollowsAn/lhlnsl'Siockholm,sweden
Teachina Archite.ture, LearningArchite.ture
wrten September l995.Accademxd archilettura,l'lendrsio.Swee.and
Does Beauty Have a Form?
Slghty revked venion otrhe edureon thesublectot venu*asl'Eiven atthe Dparrment
ofA..h te.ture ofthe Federd lnntuteofTechnoogrZu ich.November 1998
Thequo.edpa$a8esarefromthepoen Alphabef'n nger Christensen.En.henis.hes 6+
dl.ht zu Ehrcn det Etde,Auswahl oh,e Anfong ohne E de,ednen b/ Prerwate' rouie
{sa
zburg
andV enia: Res donzVelag, 1997)
The Masic of the Ral
Le.toDdctonls,de veren lODecember2O0lontheoccasonoltheLaurcaHonoft cau-
sa inArchnetiura awa.d ofthe Univehiti degiStud d Ferara. Frco tI diArchitertura
The Light in the Landscap
Le.ture,wlitren as plrtofrre Nrtiona Rese .rProrc.r'FarLux_fori cidn8ittheBa'
Faena in Chii$o lA!s!*200,1
Peter Zumthor
Born ln Baselin l943,trained as a cabinetmal(ei designer,and architect
at the Kunstgewerbeschule Basel :nd Pratt lnstitute, NewYork. Since
1979 own practice in Haldenstein, Switzerland. Professor at the Ac-
cademia di arch;tettura, UniversitA della Svizzera italiana.
Chur, I 986i Sogn Benedetg Chopel, Su rnvitg, I 988; Ho rf,es
for
Senior Atizens,
Chur-Masans, 1993i fhermai Boths
yojs,
1996i KunsthdLrs Bregenz, 1997:
Swiss Povilion Expo 2040, Hannaver Documentotian Centet "Topography
oflerror", Berlin, constructed parts of 1997 demolished 2004 by Ber-
lin StateiArt ,Museum Ko/Lrmbd, Cologne, 2007i Sdjnt Eruder Klous Fie/d
Chdpei, Scheidtweiler farm, Mechernich, Germany, 2007.
C) Phoros.aphsr Liuia P3d8eft . Fli)n <f!rr/rhin.
mkeri in rhe Z!nr$or rcs de.ce,luly 2005
Lryour rnd Cover:Hifrcte cront!nd, Hc s nt
Qr ex6:Percr ZL,m$o: Hatdenstein
T anslir.ion:f1a!rcci Oberti turfcr (ess:rys t988 996),
Car|criie Schclbert (cssays t998 2004)
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