Peter Zumthor

this singular density and mood, this feeling of presence, well-being, harmony, beauty ... under whose spell I experience what I otherwise would not experience in precisely this way.

Major Projects include :1986 Protective Housing for Roman Archaeological Excavations, Chur, Switzerland 1988 Saint Benedict Chapel, Sumvitg, Switzerland1996 Thermal Bath Vals, Switzerland1997 Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria2007 Kolumba Art Museum, Cologne, Germany2007 Brother Klaus Field Chapel, Wachendorf, Germany

Born in Basel in 1943, Peter Zumthor trained as a cabinetmaker. In 1979 he established his own practice in Haldenstein, Switzerland.

The Therme Vals, Switzerland

Zumthor's most recognized design is in Vals, Switzerland—the Thermal Baths at the Therme. It has been referred to by the press as “his masterpiece.”

The spa shows an incredibly evocative sequence of spaces and exquisite construction details.

The Therme Vals, Switzerland

Built over the only thermal springs in the Graubunden Canton in Switzerland. The Therme Vals is a hotel and spa with a complete sensory experience

It opened in 1996 to pre date the existing hotel complex.

Idea: to create a form of cave or quarry like structure.Working with the natural surroundings the bath rooms lay below a grass roof structure half buried into the hillside.

Material: The Therme Vals is built from layer upon layer of locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs.

The Therme Vals, Switzerland

The carefully thought details of light and also atmosphere conditions play a significant role to create architecture of the building and distinguishes it from the rest.

The beauty of the bath is specifically hidden at the pure atmosphere created with the reflected light and also with the steam that comes out from the water.

The Therme Vals, Switzerland

This space was designed for visitors to luxuriate and rediscover the ancient benefits of bathing.

The combinations of light and shade, open and enclosed spaces and linear elements make for a highly sensuous and restorative experience.

The underlying informal layout of the internal space is a carefully modeled path of circulation which leads bathers to certain predetermined points but lets them explore other areas for themselves. The perspective is always controlled. It either ensures or denies a view.

The ThermeVals, Switzerland

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

The museum  houses the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s collection of art which spans more than a thousand years.   Zumthor’s design delicately rises from the ruins of a late-Gothic church, respecting the site’s history and preserving its essence.

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

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

Zumthor, consistently mindful of the use of the materials, and specifically their construction details, has used grey brick to unite the destroyed fragments of the site.   These fragments include the remaining pieces of the Gothic church, stone ruins from the Roman and medieval periods, and German architect Gottfried Böhm’s 1950 chapel for the “Madonna of the Ruins.”

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

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

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

The museum includes 16 different exhibition rooms.

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

At the heart of the building, a secret garden courtyard – a quiet and secluded place for reflection.

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

Kolumba Art MuseumCologne, Germany

Thank You