Peter Zumthor
Thinking Architecture
PETER ZUMTHOR
THINKING ARCHITECTURE
BIRKHAuSER - PUBLISHERS FOR ARCHITECTURE
BASEL · BOSTON · BERLIN
A way of looking at things 9
The hard core of beauty 27
From passion for things to the things themselves 35
The body of architecture 48
Teaching architecture, learning architecture 57
• A way of looking at things 1988
In search of the lost architecture
Whf'1l Ithink ahout arl'liit c('IUrC, irnagc~ rome into Illy mind. Many
of these images arc conncclPd with III )' training and work as an
architect. Tilt,), contain Ihe profess ional knowledge about afchilec
tUff' that I have gathe red uver the ),f'ars. SOlli e of th e other im ages
have Lo do with mychildhood . Th cff' was il time when I ex perienced
a rchitecture \\ ithout thinking about it. Sometimes I ca n a lmost fecI
a partic ular door hand le in my ha nd, a pi ece o f metal shape d like
the bac k of a spoon.
I used to ta ke hold of it when I went into my aunt 's ga rd e n . That
door h a ndle still seems to me like a special s ign or e ntry into a
world of diffe re nt moods and sm e ll s. I re member the sound of the
gravel under my feel , the soft g lea m of th e waxed oak sta ircase,
I ca n h ea r the heavy front door dosing b(' hind me "IS I walk along
the dark corridor and Cllt('r the kit c he n, the on ly rea ll y brightly
lit room in the house.
Looking back, it sec ms as if thi s was the o nl y room in the house
in whi c h the ef'i ling did not di sa ppear into twilight j the small
hexago na l tiles of thc Il oor, dark red and lilted so tightly together
that th e c racks bel\\('ell them \\ ere almost imperccptilJle , we re
ha rd and un yielding und e r my feet , a nd a sme ll of oil IHlint issued
from th e kitchen c UI}boa rd .
Everything a hout thi s kitc h e n was typi ca l of a traditional
kitch e n . There was nothing SI}ccia l about it. But pe rhal)s it was just
the fact that it was so v('ry much , 50 vcry mlt urall y, a kit che n th at
has imprintl'd its ml'lIlory indelibl y on Ill y mind. Th e atmosphere of
thi s room is inso lubl y li nkf'd with my i<ka of a kitchf'n.
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'10\\ I feel like gOing on and ta lking ahout tht' door hand les
",hil ·h ('a me after th e hantllt~ on m) aunt"s gard f' n ga te, about tht'
grou nd a nd tht~ fl oors. ahout the so ft :.l::o ph a lt \\;.lrlllt,tl b) th e s lIn .
about 111(' pav ing StO IH'S ('oHred \\ith dlf'stllut It'aHs in tht,
autUlI1n , and a hout all thi' doors \\ilich dosed in t- ll ch ditTer('nt
\\i.I) S, 0 1H' rq)If'It, ;'lIl tl dignifit'fl. a notl lt~r "ith a thin , dlt';]ll dall er.
others hard . inqli;.lI..:a hle and intimidating .
\l rlllories lik(, th ese cont a in the deqwst architectural ex pf'r i'~ 'H"e
that I knm\. TIlt' ) are tilt' rcsl'rvoir" of the are hit t'clll ral atmos
ph ere" and im agt's that I f'xplorc in my \\ ork as a n a rc hit (,ct.
WIH'n I d esign a building, t frequently find myst' lf s inking into
o ld , half-forgotH'n mf'mOrl{'s. a nd tllf'n I trv to r{'('olled \dlat
the re me mbe rc(1 ;Hchitectural situati on was rea ll y like, what it
had mea nt to IIH' il t th e tim e, and I try to think how it could he lp
me 110\\ to re\ iH' that vibrant a tmosphere pe rvad ed b) the sim pl e
pres(, lH'e of things, in which e \ c rything had it s OWII spf'c ifi c pi<u.:e
a nd fo rm . And a ltho ugh I ca nno t trace any specia l forms. there is a
hint of fullness and of ridln{'ss \\ hi c h makf's me think : thi s I h<lvc
seell hefo rc. Yet, at the salll{' time. I know that il is all new a nd
diffe re nt , and that Ih ere is no direcI reference to i.l fo rm f' r work
of ' lr(·hit t'clure "hif'h might di\ld gt~ Ihe sec re t of tlH' memory
lade II 1I100d .
Made of materials
' Ib lII e. there is so met hing revea ling aho ut th e \\ork of Joseph
BCll) s and some of the artis ts of t1w ;\rle PO\ {'fl.l group. \\ hat
impress{'s lIl e is the prec iS(' a lld Sf' IlSUOUS way tlr ey U fle matf'ri
a ls. It secllls a n(' hol"('d in ;.In aIH.: ielll , (' If' mc ntal kllo,d('dgf' ahout
man's Ul)(' o f ma ter ia ls, a nd al the sa nw time to (" pos(' l h f' \f'ry
esse lHT o f tllf'Sf' matc rial s \\hit"h is hf'),o nd a ll cu ltu rl.l ll y CO ll v(' ycd
Ill ean ing.
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I try to U ~f' l1Ialt~ ri a l s like thi ~ in Ill) \\Ork. Ilw li ne th at th ,'~ ('a n
a.:iSIIIlI{' a p,wtic qualit y in the l'onlt" t o f an architf'ctural ohj('ct,
although oll l ~ if the are ilit f'(, t is ah l .. , to generat!' a llH'ani ngfll l s itu
a t ion fo r tlWIII . s ince rnatt'rials in Ih t' 1II5e " e5 art' not pOl' ti (·.
The S(, Il Sf' th at I tr) to instill inl o malerial s is hryo nd a ll 1"1I1t.'5 of
(·o mposit ion. a nd th ei r tl.ln:.6b ilit ), i-o llldl a nd acollstic qua liti('.s a r('
IlI r rpl ) eirlllt'nt s of tilt' lan~uagt' that 'H~ arf' ob ligNlto U M'. Se nsc
l' lIl erges ""he ll I slIct."t't.,d in bring in l; oul Ih c spl'c ifi c Illea nings of
('trtai n materi a ls in Ill ~ buildings. lIl ea nings that c<I n on l" be
pe lw' ived ill just Ihis "a) in this one huilding.
If we work towa rds thi s goa l, ""t~ lIlust {"onsta nli y ask oursel "cs
\\ hat the lI Sf' of a partic uhlr mate ri a l ('ould nwa n in a spec ifij ' archi
tc(' tural CO llt t'X I. Good a nswe rs to tli{'sC qllf'stion5 ('a n thrO\\ nc"
light onto ho th Ilw way ill which 1I1 f' mater ial is ge lH'rall y lIs('d and
its OWIl inlwrt' nt senSllOUs qualiti t's.
If we sU(,(,f'(' d in this. ma te rial s in a rchitecture ca n be made to
shin f' and vihrat e,
Work within things
It is sa id th at o ne of th e most impr('s~ i\{' things about the music of
Jo l1<ll1n Se bastian Bach is it s "an..: hit f'(' ture." Ib construction s('e lllS
d ear and tran spar(' nt. It is Iloss iblf' to pu rs ue thf' detai ls o f th e
llI e lodic, harmon ic and rh ~lhmi e;'l l f'le nl('nl~ \\ithout lo"i ng th e
f(,el ing for the compositio n as a whole - thf' "holt' which ma kes
Sf'n se of th (' detai ls. The music SI't'IlIS to 1)(' has{'d upo n .a dear
structure. and if \\ e trace the indi\ idual Ihn'ads of th e musica l
fabri c it is possi ble to apprehend th e rules tha t ~o\{' rn th e stnlt' turt'
of Ih (' mu sic.
Co nstnl{, tion is th(' art of making;J mt.'a ningfl.l l \\ hole ou t of lIIall )
pari s. Buildings art' wit ll esses to tilt' larrn a n ahilit)' to ('ons truct
("O IH"rf'tf' things. I hf' li ('\(' tha t th e ft'al core uf all architectural
\\ork li cs in til(' ad o f t"o nl)truct io n. At the poillt in tim (' \\ hcl1 ("o n-
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I II II I
I
Ii
ercLe mat e ri a ls are assembl ed and e rected , the a r(' hiH'cturf> wc
h ave bee n loo king for becomcs I)art of th e rea l world.
I feci respc!,;l for th e a rt of joi ning, the ability of craftsmcn and
cngin ('('rs. I Hm imp ressed by the knowledge of ho\\ to make th ings,
which li es Ht th e boltom of huma n skill. I try to d esign build ings
that a rC' \\orlhy of thi s kno\\ ledge and me rit the cha ll enge to thi s
skill.
Peopl C' often S,lY, "A lot of work went into this" when th ey sense
til{' ('a r(' and skill that it s maker has lavished on a carefull y ('on
structf'd obj(,(·t. The notion that our work is an integral part of
what we a('eomplish tak es li S to the very limits of our musings
about the va lu c of a work of art, a work of architecture. Are the
effort and skill w(' put into the m rea lly inh e rent parts of the things
we make? Sometimes, when I am moved by a wo rk of architecture
in th e same way as I am moved by music. lite rature or i1 I)ainting.
I am te mpt ed to think so.
For the silence of sleep
I love music. The slow moveme nts of the Moza rt piano concert os,
John Co ltrlJne's ballads, or th e sound of the human voice in ce rta in
songs all move me.
Th e human ability to invent me lodies, ha rmoni cs, and rh ythms
amazes me.
But til(' world o f sound also embraces th e opposite of melody,
harmo ny, and rhythm. The re is di sharmony and broken rh yt hm ,
fragm ents and cluste rs of sound, a nd there is also the pure ly func
t iona l sound th :1 t we c<l 1I noise. Contemporary music ,\orks with
these ele ments.
Contempo rary architect ure should be just as r.adi f'a l .as conte m
porary 11111sic. But there arc limits. Although a work o f <l rt·hit ectur('
hased o n tli s harm ony a nd fragmentation , o n broke n rh ythms, clus
tering and structural di sruptions may he ahle to convey a l11 es~ age.
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tiS soon as we unde rstand it s statell1('nt o ur curios it y di es. a nd a ll
th at is left is tlit· qu esti on of til(" buildi ng's practi ca l usefuln ess.
Architecture has it s 0\\11 realm. It has a s pecia l phys ica l re la tio n
ship with li fe. I do not think of it Ilrim aril y as (,it he r a message o r a
symbo l, but as an ('me-lope a nd b.wkground fo r li fe which goes on
in and around it. a sensit ive ('o ntaill(" r for til{' rhythm of footsteps
o n the floor, for th e conce ntrat io n o f work . fo r th e silence of slee p.
Preliminary promises
In it s final , constructed form, architecture has it s place in th e co n
c rete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its stat e
ment. Portraya ls of as yet unrea li zed iHchit ectural works represe nt
an attempt to give a voice to sOIll("thing which has not ye t found it s
place in th e concre te world for which it is meant. Architectural
drawings try to ex press as accurate ly as I)ossib lc the aura of the
building in it s inten ded 1)laec. But prec isely the effort of the I)or
lrayal ofte n se rves to unde rline the ahse nce o f the actual object.
and what then e me rges is a n awareness o f t. he in adequacy of a ny
kind of portraya l, curiosity a bout the reality it I}rorniscs, and
pe rhaps - if the promi se has th e powe r to move us - a longing for
it s presence.
If the naturalism and graphic virtuosity of architectural portray
a ls arc too grea t , if th ey lack "opell l)atehes" where our imagination
a nd curiosity a bout the rea lit y o f the drawing l'an pe net rat e th e
im age, th e IlOrtra ya l it se lf beco llH's th e objec t o f our des ire, and our
longing for the rea lity wanes heca use th e re is little or nothing in
the represe ntation that points to the int e nded reality beyo nd it. The
port ra YlJ1 no longer holds a pro mise. It re fers o nly to itself.
Des ign drawings th at refe r to a reality which still li es In the
future are illlpq,rtant in Ill y work . I cont inue workingon my drawings
until they reach the deli (,ate point o f represe ntation when th e pre
vai ling mood I seek eme rges, and I stop befo re in essenti a ls start
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dClra l'ling from it s impal.:t. The drawing it s('lf 1II11sttakf'o n til{' qual
it y o f th e sought-for o bjed. It is like a s l... elch hy a sculptor for hi s
sculpture. not me rel y an illu stration of an id f'a hut an inn ate part of
the work of c rea tion , whic h {' nds with th e co nstruded objed.
Th ese sort of drawings f' nahlf' us to step baL:k, to look, and to
lea rn to unde rstand that whidl has not ye t CO lTl t' into bt' ing and
which has just started to f'mf'rgf'.
Chinks in sealed objects
Buildings are artificial eonstruct ions. They consist of singl e I)arts
which must he joined together. To a large degree, th e quality of th e
fini shed object is dete rmined by th e quality of the joins.
In sculpture, there is a traditio n whil.:h minimises th e ex prf'ss ion
of the joints and joins betwee n the single part s in favour of th{'
overall form . Richard Serra's steel o bjects, for exa mple, look just as
homogenous and integral as the stone and wood scu lptures of the
older sculptural traditions. Mall), of thc installations and objects
by arti sts of the 1960s and 70s ft>l)' on th c simplf' st and most obvi
ous met hods of joining a nd connccting that we know. Be uys, fi,'l en-:
and others oftcn uscd loosc s(,ttings in space, coils, fold s and laye rs
wh e n deve loping a whole from th e individual parts.
The dircct , sce mingly se lf-evident way in whic h these objects are
put toge ther is inte resting. Thf're is no intf'rruption of th e overall
imprf'ssion by sma ll parts whic h have nothing to do with th e
object's statement. Qur perCf'ption of the whole is not di straetcd
by inessential deta il s. Every touch, e very join , eve ry joint is the re in
order to reinforce the idea of th e quiet prese nce of th e work.
Wh e n I design buildings, I try to g ive th e m thi s kind of presence.
Howcver, unlike the sculptor, I have to start with fun ctional and
techni ca l require ments tha t re presc nt th e fundaJlJ enta l tas k I ha\'('
to fulfill. Arc hit eet ure is always faced with th e c hall e nge of ri evf' l
oping a whol(' o ut o f innum e rable de ta il s, oul of var ious fun ctio ns
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and forms, mate rial s and dime nsions. The architect must look for
rational constructions and form s for edges and joints, for the points
where surfaces intersect and diffe ren t materials meet. These rorm al
deta ils determine th e sensitive transitions within th e larger propor
tions of th e building. Thf' detail s establish the rormal rhythm , th e
building's rinely fra ctionated scale.
Detail s express what the basic idea of the design requires at th e
relevant point in th e object: helonging or se paration, tension or
lightness, friction , so lidity, fragility.
Detail s, when th ey are successrul , are not me re decoration. They
do nol dist ract or entertain. They lead to an understanding of the
whole of which th ey are an inherent part.
There is a magical power in eve ry completed, se lf-conta in ed
creation. It is as ir we succumb to th e magic of the full y deve loped
architectural body. Our attent ion is caught, perhaps for the first
tim e, by a deta il such as two nail s in the floor that hold th e steel
plates by the worn-out doorstcp. Emotions well up. Something
moves us.
Beyond the symbols
"Anylhing goes," say the doers. " Mainstreet is almost all right ," says
Venturi , the architect. '"'"Nothing works any more," say those who
suffer fro m the hostility of our day and age. These statements stand
for contradi ctory opinions, if not for contradi ctory racts. \lie get
used to living with co ntradictions and th ere arc several reasons
for this: traditions crumble, and with them cultural identities.
No one seems rea ll y to understand and control th e dynami cs devel
oped by economics and politi cs. Everything merges into cverything
else, and mass co mmunica tion creates an a rtifi cial world of signs.
Arbitrariness prevails.
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Postmodern life could Iw df' se ribed as a state in \\ hich cve ry
thing beyond our own p(' rsonal biography see ms vague, blurred ,
and so me how unreal. The wor ld is full of signs and information .
which stand for things that no o ne full y understa nds Iwca usf' th ey,
too , turn out to be lIIe n' signs for othn things. 'I'll(' rf'a l thing
rcmains hiddf'n. No one cv(' r gelS to see it.
Nf'vertheless, I am co nvinced that rea l things do f'xist, howe ver
en dange rf'd th f'y may be. The re arc earlh and wa tf'r, tlw light of
the S UIl , landscapf's and vege tation : and tl1('r(' a rf' ohjeets, made by
man , such as maehines, tools or musica l in strumf'nts, which are
what th ey are, which are not mere vehicles for an arti sti c message,
whose prese nce is se lf-evid ent.
Wh en we look at objects or buildings which seem to be at peace
within th emselves, our perce plion Iwco mes ca lm and dull ed. Th e
ohjects we perceive have no messag(' for us, th ey are simply there.
Our perceptive faculties grow qui et, unprejudi ced and unacquisi
tive . They reach beyond signs and symbols, they a re open, e mpty.
It is as if we could see something o n which we ca nnot focus our
consciousness. Here, in this percf'ptual vacuum, a me mory may
surface, a memory which s('ems to issue from th e depth s of lim e.
Now, our observation of tlw object embraces a presentime nt of the
world in all its wholeness, because there is nothing thaI ca nnot be
understood.
The re is a power in the ordinary things of everyday life, Edward
Hopper's paintings see m to say. We only have to look at Ihe m lon g
e nough to sce it.
Completed landscapes
To me, th e prese ncf' of ce rtain buildings has something secret
about it. Th ey sef'm simply to be th ere. We do not pay any special
allenlion to them. And yet it is virtuall y irnposs ihlf' to imagine th e
pl ace where they stand with out them. Thf's(' huildings appear to be
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alH:ho n,d firml y in th e ground . Th ey make the imprcss ion of hf'i ng
<l sf' lf-cvidc lit pa rt of tlw ir surro undings <llld th ey seem 10 be say
ing: -' I am as you see me and I Iw lo ng he re."
I haw a pass ionate des ire to d e~ i g n su(' h buildin gs, buildi ngs
tha t, in time, gro w naturall y into bei ng a pa rt of the fo rm a nd his
to ry o f thei r pi <lee.
Eve ry new wo rk of architectu re int e rvf'n es in a specifi c histo ri ca l
situatio n. It is essentia l to th e qu alit y of th e inl f' rVe ntio n that
th e new building should emhrace qualiti f's whi ch ca n e nte r in to a
IH ('aningful di a logue with th e ex isting situati on. Fo r if the int e rve n
tio n is to find its place, it mu st Ill <l ke us see wh ut already cx ists in
a new light. We throw a stone into th e wate r. Sa nd swirls up a nd
se ttl es <lga in . Th e stir was necessa ry. The sto ne has found il s pl ace.
But th e pond is no lo nger th e samf'.
I Le li evf' th at buildings o nly be accepted by th e ir surroundings if
they havf' the abilit y to appeal to o ur e moti ons a nd minds in vari
ous ways. Since o ur fee lings and understa nding are rooted in the
past, o ur sensuou s co nnectio ns with a building Illust rf's pect thc
process of re membe ring. But, as Jo hn Berge r says, wha t Wf' re me lTl
be r ca nnot be co mpared to Ih f' end of a line. Vario us possi bilities
lead to and meet in th e act o f rf' membering. Images, moods, fo rms,
wo rds, signs or compa ri so ns ope n up poss ihilit ies o f a pproach . \'(Ie
IllIlSt (;o nst rucl a radi al sys1.f'm of a pproac h th at cna hl f's us to sef'
the wo rk o f a rchitecture as a foca l po in t from di lle rent angles
simultan eously: histo rica ll y, aesth eti ca ll y, fun ct io na ll y. persona ll y.
passio natc ly.
The tension inside the body
AnlO tl g a ll th c drawings prod uced by arc hitcl:Is, my favo rit f's are
th e wo rk ing drawings. Worki ng drawings a rc df' ta iled and ohjec
tivf'. Crea ted fo r th e na i't sllle n who arc to give Lh p im agined o bject
a mate ri a l fo rm , th ey a rc fret· of assoc iative man ipul atio n. Th ey do
,.
not try to convin ce and impress like projec t d rawi ngs. They seem to
be sayin g: "This is exactl y how it will look."
WOI-king drawi ngs a rf' like a natomi ca l drawings. Th ey revea l
so nlPlhing o f til(' sec ret inn er tensio n that th e fi nished a rchit ect u
ra l hody is rf' lucta nt to d ivulge: the art of jo ining, hidde n geo metry,
th e fri ct io n o f mate ri a ls, th e inne r forces o f bear ing a nd ho lding,
the hum an wo rk which is inh erent in ma n- made things.
Per Kirkeby o nee did a brick sculpture in the form of a house
fo r a Oocum enta ex hibition in Kasse l. Th e house had no entra nce.
Its intf' rior was inaccess ible <l nd hidd en. It remain ed a Sf'c ret ,
which added an aura of mysti ca l depth 10 til(' sculpture's oth e r
qu aliti es.
I think that the hidd en stru ctures a nd constructio ns of a house
should be o rgani zed in such a way th at they endow the bod y of the
building with a qua lity of inn er te nsio n and vib ra tion . This is how
violins a re made. They remind us o f the li ving bodies of na ture.
Unexpected truths
In my youth I im agined poe try as a kind of colo red cloud made up
of mo re or less diffusf' meta ph ors a nd a llusions whi ch, a lth ough
th ey might be enjoya ble, we re diffi eult to associate with a rel iahl e
view o f th e world . As an a rchitect, I have Ica rned 10 understa nd
tlr at the opposite of thi s youthful definitio n o f poetry is pro hahl y
closer to the truth .
If a work of a rehitecture consists of fo rm s a nd contf' nts whi ch
co mbin e to c reatc a strong fund ament a l Illood that is powerful
e no ugh to a ileet us, it may possess th e qualiti es o f a work o f a rt.
Th is a rt has, howevc r, nothing to do with inte resting configuratio ns
o r o rigi na li ty. It is conce rn ed wilh insights and understanding, a nd
ahove a ll with truth . Pe rh aps poe try is u nex ]l f'('ted truth . It li ves in
st illness. Archi tec ture's a rli st ic task is to give this still ex pect<l nc)' a
form . Th e building it se lf is npVf' r poet ic. At mos t, it nwy possess
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suhtl f' qllaliti ('S \\ hi c h . ut l:e rt ain 1ll 0 lll enlii,!W rmil li S to unf/{-rstand
::,o lll f' lhi n~ tllUt \\t' \\ere n l~\t~ r a hlf' 10 IIndf'rSland in quite thi ::. \\'u)
befo re.
Desire
The (' II~a r, logical dCH' lopm c nt of 11 \\ork of art' lIit N' lurf' dqu··nds
0 11 nlt iOllal Hnd ohjef'tiw c rite ria . \'('he n I Fwrmit subj (,('li H a nd
un('onsid('f('fl idf'as to inte rve ne in the objecti ve t'OtlrS(' o f th e
dt~s ign I'ro('('ss. I acknowledge the signili cance of 1)l' rSo n ~.r f(' t' lings
in my work.
\X 11t'11 a rc hite(,t s talk about their buildings, \\ hat tllI 'y say is oftl"'n
at odds "ith thc stute lllcnts of Ih e buildings th('rn sl-' I\I~s. This is
probably l'on nccled with th e fa ct thai Ih ey te nd to talk a good <l l"'a l
a boul til(' rati on al , thought-out asp('('ts of Ih f' ir \\ o rk anrllcss ahout
th c s<,c ret pass ion which insl)ircs it.
Thc d('~ i g n pro('ess is basf'd on a consta nt inlf'rpla) o f f('('ling a nd
r('<lso n. 'I'll{' ('clings, pn..~fcrences , longings, and df'si rf's that e lll rrge
and (knHlnd to b(' g ivc ll a form must be (;ontrollf'r! hy criti(,al powers
o f rt~asonin g, hut it is our f(,plings that tell us wlH'tlH'r ahstra('t con
sideration s rea ll y ring true.
To a large degree, d(,s igning IS based on understanding and
f'sta hli shing syslt' ms of order. Ye t I beli e ve that the essential sub
stanc(' of thc architecture we seck proceeds from fce lin g and
insight. Prel' ious mom e nts of intuition result from patient work,
\'\ ith Ilw sudd e n e mergence of an inne r image. a ne\\ line in a
drawill~, the \\h ole des ign changes and is new l) formulat ed \\ithin
a fraction of u sccond. It is as if a po\\ c rful drug \H:r(' sudd(' nl y
ta king dfl'l:t. E\l'r)thing I knl'\\ befo re abolltlhl' thing I alll ('r('at
ing is fl ooded by iI bright ne\\ li ght. I l" pc ri c nc(' jO) and IHlss io n,
a nd somNh ing d('(' p insidc IlI C s('e IllS 10 affirm: " I \\<lnl to huild thi !;
hOll Sl~ !··
20
Composing in space
(;('o l11 f' try is about Ih c hl\\ s of linl 'i'!, plan(' i'!lI rfal:l'~. a nd three
dinu'nsio na l bodies in span'. Cl'O nlt'l r) ca n Iw lp us understand
11 0\\ to ha ndl f' spacc in arehitcl'ture.
In ar(' hiI C('iU re, thc re <In' 1\\0 basic 1)O ~l'oi hilit if's of Sll<l ti<l1 co m
posi tio n : tlw doscd a rc hit ct' tura l bod) \\ hi('h iso lat{'s space within
il s{' lf. and thc op('n hod) \\hich em hran.'s an ar('a of spacl' thai is
('onnc('t('d "ith thf' c ndless continuum . Tlw (" t(' nsio n o f space ca n
hc madc visible throu gh bodies such as sla hs or po lf's placed freely
or in rows in the spati a l cx panSt' of a roo rn.
I do not claim to kno w what spacf' r{'all y is. Th(' long{' r I think
ahout it , til(' more mysterious it lJl' co rn cs. Ahout OIl(' thing, how
e ve r, I am sure: when wc, as architcds, are ('o ll('f'rned with space,
we are co ncern ed with but a tiny pa rI of the infinit y that surrounds
the earth. and yet each a nd l~"Cr) building ma rks a uniqu f' place in
thi s inlinity.
Wilh this idea In mind . I s ta rt by skcl<;hing the first plans and
se l:lions of my des ign. I draw spat ia l diagrams and si ml)le vo lumes,
Ilr) to visualize th e m as prccise bodies in spm;l', and I feel it is im
port<lnt to sense exactl y how they de fin e and separate an area of
intc rior s lHlce from the spac(' tha t surrounds th e m, or how they con
lain a p<lrt of the infinite spatial continuum ill a kiJl(I of open vessel.
Buildings that have a strong impact alw<lys cO llv<, y an inte nse
feeling of th e ir spatia l qualit y. They e mbrace the myster ious void
callcd space in a special way a nd make it vibrat e.
Common sense
Dcsigning is inventing. Wh e n I \\as still at nrl l:o nnd nafts SdlOOI , wc
trif'd to follow thi s princi ple. \\ f' looked for a n('w So lulio n to eve ry
proble m, We fe lt it was impo rtant lo h{' <lvant-ga rd f', Not until late r
did I realiz(' that there a re basica ll y oil ly a w ry few a rehitc('lural
proble ms for whieh a valid so lution has not alft'ad)' b{'en found,
"
In rctrospf'ct, my cducation in df' sign see lll s so mew hat a-i1islOri
ca l. Our role mode ls were the pion eers and inventors of "' Das Nf' lIC
Ihuc n." We rcgardf'd a rchit ectural hi story as a part of gellf' ral ed u
cat ion , which had liulc influf'nce on our work as dcsigners. Thus,
\\(' frequcntly invented what had already b('e n invf'n ted. and we
trif'd our hand at inventing the uninventahle.
This kind of training in design is not without it s educational
value. Lat e r, howeve r, as practi c ing architects, we do well to get
acquainted with the enormous fund of knowledge and expc ri c ll cf'
con tained in the historv of architccture. I believe that if we intf'
grate thi s in our work, we have a Iwltf'r chancc of making a gf'nu
ine co ntribution of Ollr own.
Architecture is, however, not a linear process that leads more or
less logically and dirf'cti y from architectural hi story to new huild
ings. On thc search for the architecture that I envisage, I frequ e ntl y
experiencc stifling moments of emptiness. Nothing I ca n think of
see ms to tall y with what I want and ca nnot yet e nvisage. At th ese
moments, I try to shake offthf' academic knowl edge of architecture
I have acquired becausc it has suddenly started to hold me back.
This helps. I find I ca n breathe morc freely. I ca tc h a whiff of the
old familiar mood of thc inventors and pioneers. Dcs ign has once
again bccolllf' invention.
The c reat i\'e act in which a work of arehitccture comes into
being goes beyond all hi storica l and tcchnical knowledge. Its focu s
is on the dialogu e with the issues of 0111' tim e. At the mome nt of it s
c rea l ion , architecture is hound 10 the prf' se nt in a very specia l way.
It rdl f'cts the spirit of its inventor and gives it s own answers to the
question s of our tim e through it s fun ctional form and appearancf",
its rf"lationship with other works of architecture and with thc place
wlwre it stands.
The answers to these questions which I can formulate as all archi
tect are limit ed. Our tinH.'S of change and transition do not pf"rrnit
big gestllres. Th e re are o nl y a few remaining cOlllmon vaitJf"s le ft
upon which w,-' can build a nd which wt' all share. I thus appeal for
i.I kind of ar('hitecturf' of common sense based on the fundamentals
that we sti ll know, understa nd , and reel. I ca refull y o bs(' rve the
co nf'rt' te a ppeara nce of the world, and in my buildings I try lo
c nhance what seems to bc valuable , to co rr('('t what is di sturhing,
a nd to create anew what W(' feel is mi ss ing.
Melancholy perceptions
Ettore Sco la 's film " I.e ha l" r('('ounts fifty yea rs of European histo ry
with no dialogue and a complf'tf' unit y o f place. It co nsists so le ly of
mu sic and tllf' motion of people movin g and danc ing. We remain in
the sa me room with the sa me peopl e througho ut , while tilTl e goes
by and the da ncers grow older.
'rhe focll s of the film is on it s main characte rs. But it is the ball
room with its til ed floor <.Ind it s p<.lncling, th e stairs in th e back
ground and th e lion 's paw at th e sid e which c rea tes the film 's
dense, powe rful at mosphe re. Or is it th c other way round'! Is it tht'
peopl e who e ndow the room with it s particular mood ?
I ask thi s qu estio n because I am convi nced that a good building
must be ca pable o f absorbing the tra('es of human life and thus of
taking o n a specifi c ri chness.
Na turall y, in thi s eo ntf' xt I think of the patina of age on mate ri
a ls, of innumerable sma ll snatches on surfaces, of varnish that has
grown dull and hrilll e, and of edges poli shed by usc. But wh en I
clost' Ill y t'yes and try to forget both these phys ica l traces and my
own first assoc iation s, what re mains is a diffe rent impression, a
dee per feeling - a consciousness of tim e passing and an awareness
of th e human lives that have been acted out in these places and
rooms and charged them with a special aura . At th ese mome nts,
architecture's <.Icsthetie a nd I}ra eti ca l v<.Ilues, s tyli sti c and histori cal
signifi ca nce a re of secon d<.lry importan ce. What matins now is only
thi s feeling of dee p 1Ilf'la nchol y. Architecture is ex posf'd to life. If
24
it s body is sensiti w f'nough. it ca n assume a qualit y tllat bears wit
Ilf'S5 to till"' reality of past life.
Steps left behind
When I work 011 a d(,s ign I allow mysf' lf to lw gui d t' d hy images and
moods that I relllcmber and ('a n rf'lat e to thf' kind o f ar('hitef'IIHf'
I am looking for. Most o f thf' imag(,s that ('o me to mind originate
from my subjective ('xperif'nc(' and a re only rare ly accompanied hy
a re membered a rchit ectural cOlllnwntary. While I am design ing
I try to find out \\ hat thf' sf' images mea n so that I can learn how to
!'r('ate a \walth of visual form s and atmospheres .
Aftf'r a cerlain time, the object I am des igning takes on some of
th e qualities of the images I use as modc ls. If I can find a mea ning
ful way of inte rlock ing and supe rimposing these qualiti es, th e
object will assume a depth and ri chness. If I am to achi('ve this
effect , the qualities I am giving the des ign mu st rnerge and blf'nd
with th e co nst ru ctional and formal structure of the fini shed build
ing. Form and construction , a ppearunce and fun ct ion a r(' no longe r
se parate. They be long togethe r and form a whole.
When we look at the finished building, our eyf's, guidf'd by our
analytical mind , tend to st ray and look for detail s to hold on to. But
the synthcs is of th e whole docs not beeo nH' ('o mpre hf'nsible
through isolated de tail s. Everything refe rs to f'verything.
At thi s momcnt , the initial imagf's fadf' into tht' background. Th e
models, words, <lnd compariso ns that Wf'rf' necessary for th e c rea
tion of th e whole di sa ppea r like stf'pS that have been left behind.
The new building <.Issumes tllf' foca l position and is it se lf. Its hi story
begins.
25
Resistance
I bt' lil'\(' that archil(,('lur(' today need s to reflt'l, t on til(' l a~ks and
pos.osi bilitif·$ \\'h;('h arc inherently its 0\\11. An 'hilf'('llIrf' i~ nol a \('hi
elf' or a ~) lIIhol for things that do not Iwlong to ils esse li ce. In a
SO('j('l) that n' ll'bralt'S tht, incssential. architecture (;iln put lip ....
res iSIaIU 'c. ('ounl cn.lc t til(' \\0.151.(' of form s and IIIl·a nings . • Intl sp<'ak
its 0\\ II language.
I IJcli t,\l' IllUt the language of arc hitec ture is nol a question of a
specific 51) Ie. Every building is built for 11 sl)ceirit, LI St.' ill it 5p('('·i fi(·
place alld for a spc{'ific socif'ty. 1"')' buildings try 10 illl SWN Ih('
qUl' stions that (,1IlC'rg(' from these simple fact s as prt~(' i s(' l y and nil
il'ally as Illf' ) ('till.
26
The hard core of beauty 1991
'1'\'0 wn'ks ago I happell ed to Iwar ;'1 radio progra m on the Ameri
('a n POl'l \\ illiam Carlos Williams, Tht~ program was e nlitled "' I'he
Hard Core of 13ea uI )':' This phrase (,aught Ill )' attention, I like the
idea Ihat bt-'auly has a hard ('orc, and wlien I think of arl.'hitcl.'tlire
thi s assoc iat ion of heauty a nd a hard ('ore has a ('erlain familiarity,
"Th l.' machin e is a thing thai has no slIlH·rfluol.l s part ti," Williams is
supposed to haw' said, And I inllllediatel y think I know what Iw
meant. It 's a thought that Peter Handke allucl('s to , I fef'1. when IH"
sa)s that Iwauty lies in natural , grown Ihings thai do not carry any
signs or messages, and when he adds Ih ;.l1 Iw is UpSN when he can
not di scover. di s-cover. the mea ning of things for himself.
And then I learned from the radio program that the poetry of
\\ illialll Carlos Williams is based on Ih e ('0 11\ ict ion Ihat there are
no ideas excc pt in the t h i ngs t helll se ives, and thai the pu rpose of hi s
art was to direct hi s sensory perccption to th e world of things in
order to mak(· thelll hi s own.
In William s's \\ork, said th f' speaker, thi s takes placc scemingly
une motion a lly and laconi ca ll y, and it is precise ly for thi s reason
that hi s texts have such a strong ('motional impa t:t.
What I hf'ard appeals to l11e: noL to wish to stir lip emotions \\ ilh
huildings, I think to myself, but 10 allow e molions 10 emerge, to he,
And: 10 re main close to th e thing ilself. (·Iost· 10 the ('~scnc(' of the
thing I have to shape. conlidcnt thai if til(' building is conceived
ac(,urate ly enough for il s place and it s function, it \\ill ci('\'elop its
own strength , \\ith no need for artistic additions.
The hard core of heaut): {'oncC'ntralf'd suhstanc(-',
But where arC' an'hitc('tIHf" S fif·ld s of fOfl'(' that ('ollstitute it s
substarH't" , aho\'f' and Ilf'),ond a ll supt'l'fit 'i alit y and iJrbilrarinesti?
"
Italo Cal\ino 1f'lIs us in hi s "L('zioni alllf'ric<lIU''' ahout th(' Ital
ian IlOf'1 Cia(,omo Lcopardi \\ho S<I\\ Ihe heaut) of a \\ork of a rt. in
hi s caSt' Iht' bt.,atlt) of litcraturf'. in its \'agu e lll'ss, OP('I1I1('SS, and
incleH' rlllinaq , I)('('ausf' this lemcs thc form opel1 for Illall~ diff('r-
elrt 1Il{'a llingtl.
L('OI)ardi 's t'l lat{'uH'llt see ms convincillg c llough . \\orh or ohj('l"\l'I
of art that IIIOV{, us arc multi-fa ('c lcti: tilt') haH IlUIll('f"OU~ and
1)(,l"haps f' 1H1I('ss laY('l"s of meaning ,\hich oH'rlap and int{'nH'a\(',
and whi('h dtaug{' as \\t.' I.'hangc our angle of ohservation.
But how is the l.lr<: liit ed to obtain thi s d('pth and Illultiplicity
in a building of hi s making'! Can vagu(,ll(,ss and ope nness 1)('
planlled '! Is tller(' not a ('o ntradietion hf're to th(' l'laim or act.'llracy
thaI Williams':;; argulllf'nt sef'm s to impl y"~
Cahino find s a sllrprising answer to thi s ill a tl'xi b) I.eopardi.
Cal\ino point s Otlt that in Leopanli 's O\\n te"\ls, this lo\('r of thc
indf'l('f"lllinale r('vea ls a Iwinstaking fidelit y 10 the things h{' df'
sc rih('s and offers 10 our contcmplalion , and he ('onH'~ to Ihe ('on
clu tl ioll : "This, then , is \\hat Lcopardi dcmands of us so that \\{' c;:tn
e njoy Ih e beaut) of thc indeterminate and ,agut"'! 1I f' ('ails for
highl), alTural(' and p('dantic attcntion in Ill(' composition of ('a('h
pictuf"{'. in lht' lnC'ti culoll s definition of df'laii s. in the' ("hoi('(' of
objl'cls, li ghting and atmospherc with til(' aim of attai lling th ('
dcsircd vag\J('I\{~ss." Ca lvino ciosf' s wit h thf' sec'mingly paradoxi
ca l proc-Ialllalion: "'I'll(' POf'1 of the vagu e ca n only be lhe poc t
of pr('cision!"
\\ hat intf'rests lilt' in this story reporlcd by Ca lvino is not thc
('xhortation to prec ision and patient , detail ed \\ork with \\ hi (' h \\C
are a ll fami liar, hUI the implica tion that richncss and multipli(·it )
emanale from the Ihings Ihelllsd \ cs if W(' obs('rve thc m attentive l)
<Inti g iH' lit{'1Il tll{'ir duc. Applied 10 architc('!urf', thi s mf' a ns for 1Il{,
Ihut po\\{'r and Illultiplicil) must he dCHlop('d from th(' assigned
task or, in other "orels, from til(' things that ('onstilutl' it.
28
Joh n Cage sa id in one of hi tl led u (,('S that 11(' is not a ('omposcl' \\ 110
Iwar:, music in his mind ami thel1 attelllpb to \\ritt.' il dO\\n. I-I f' has
anotlwr \\a) of operating. I-If' \\orks out ('ont·t'llIs alHi strudures and
tllf'lI has thcm performed to find out ho,\ tht,) sound.
\\ IH' n I rf'ad Ihis statellH'nt I r(,lll t' rnhe rt'd ho\\ \\1' rcce ntly
d(' \elopt" d a projcd for a thermal bath in liw mountains in Ill) stu
dio , nol h) forming prt.'lilllinary images of Iht' building in our
minds and suhscquently ad 'lj)ting thrill 10 til{' as..,ignuH·nt, lwt by
('ndcavoring to ,HlS\\Cr basic questions ari sing from thf' lo(,ation of
th e give n sitt' , tht' purpose, and til{' building materials - mountain ,
rock, wat('1" - whi('h at first had no "isua l t'O nlt.'nl in tel" ms of ('xist
ing arehitccture.
It was on ly after we had succc('lled in answ('ring, stcp by step, the
qucstions poscd by th e site, purpose and mat e rial Illal structures
and spac('s emerged whic h surpri sed us al1d \\ hich I belit.~\C possess
Ihe potellti <'l l of a primordial forcc thai rc'lch('s dCf'pe r than th e
me re arrangclllcn i of styli sti(,311 ) l}rccoIH.:ciH'd form s.
O('("ul}yi ng onesc lf with the in Iwrcnl la" s of 1..'0n('r('l.(' I h ings s li e h
as mountains, roc k, and water in ('onIH~(" ti on \\ith a building ass ign
me nl offers a chance of apprehending and c:..pressing so mf'" of the
primal and as it werc '\:uhurally inno('C'nt " aLLributes of these
clcments, and of dcvclol,ing an l.Irl'hit('('tul"l' that scts ou t from a nd
returns 10 real things. Precollct'i"ed imag('s a nd styli sti ca ll y pre
fabricated form idioms arc qualified o nl ) 10 block the access to
thi s goal.
~1 y 5" iss co ll eagues I-h 'rzog .wd de \1 ('u ron sa) Ilwl a rchitectu re
as a single whole no longer exisls loday, a nd that il accordingly has
to Iw <ll"tificially c reated in the head of the (/ es ig,wr, as an act of
prc(' i st~ thinking. The two architects d e ri\C from this assumption
their tlwory of architecture as a form of thought , all ar('hil('clure
whic h , I SIlPPOSC, should rcflf'c'l its ('('f"(,brally ('o IHx'ived wholeness
in a special "3)'.
29
I do nol inlf'nd to Il ursuc Ihese architects' t lwor) o r ;:If"( 'hilt'cturf'
as a form or tho ught, but only the assumption on which it is based,
nall1 (' l) that th e wholeness of a building in till: o ld Sl'n8t' of til('
masln builde rs 11 0 lon gl~r f'x ists.
Pe rso ll<" I). I s till ht~ li f'\e in th e se lf-suffi cient. corporf" " \\holf'
ness of an art.' hit ectural object as the essential , if fl iffieult , aim of
Ill y "ork, if not as a natural or given f.wl.
Yl' t how art~ we 10 achieve thi s "ho le lH"5S in an' hit f'f' turf' at a
tillle wl1('n IIw di vint', whi ch once gave things a meaning, a nd e ve n
realil y it sf' if Sf'f'1II to bt· di sso lving in the f'ndlf' ss flu x of transitory
signs and ima~cs'?
Pt'ln lI a ndk e writes of hi s f' ndf'avors to make tex ts and dest' rip
lions part of the Cll vironnwnt they re late to . If I und e rsl.lrld him
co rrectly, I alii confronlf'd he re not only by the all -too-fami li ar
aware nt:SS o f tlH" diffi cult y of e liminating artific ialil) in things
c rea ted in an artificial act and of making th e m part of the wor ld of
ordinar) and naluralthings, but al so b) the belie f th at truth lies in
til(' things Ihelll s(' h es.
I be licvf' that if arti sti c proccsses stri v(' for wholent·ss, they al
wa) s alteml}1 10 g ivc the ir c reations a prf'se nce a kin to that found
in the things of nature or illllH" natural f'nvironmcnl.
Consl'quen tl y, I find Ihal I can understand Handke, \\ho in the
same int e rvie w refers to himself as a wriler about places, when 11('
requires of hi s t('xts that " Ih e rf' should be no <.Idditiv('s in them ,
but a cugni zil ll ct' o f d f' tail s and of their inte rlinking to. form a (. .)
fa c tual eOlllpl f'x.'·
TIl(' \\ord lIandke lISCS to dcs ig ll<.lt t, \\ hat I hil\f' hen' ('ailed iI
fac tual t'ompln, nam e l) "Sachvcrlw!t ," seem s to Ill(' 10 bc llIea n
ingfu l \\ilh rf'g<.l rtl to the ailll of "hole and unadulterat ed thing:, :
("Hl('t fa(, tual conte nts lIlu st be bro ught logf'tl1('r. buildings IIlU i)t bt~
thought of as l'o llll}l l'Xe~ \\h 05e detail s have heen right I) idelltified
and put illto a f,.It't ua l re lationship to f'Heh ot he r. A fadu a l n' la
tion bili,, !
30
Th C' IJOi nl Ihal e merges hert' is th e redut.'tion of 111 (' ('o nt e nt s
10 rt'i.d thing:s. Handke also spC'a ks, in thi s co ntext , of fi <k lit y to
things. li e \\ould like h is dcsaiplions, he sa)::., to b(' t~\ lw ri t' n c('d as
faithfullH' s!o! to the place the ) desc ribe and not as sllppit-Ill t'litar)
I:oloring.
SlatPIlJ(' III S o f thi s kind Iwlp me 10 I:O lll e to t(' nns "ith Ih e di s
s:.lIi sfa etion I o f le n cx pf' rif'n ce whe n I conte mplat C' r('t·t'lll an.: hit cc
lur('. I frt' qu c llIl ) cO llie across buildings th ai hav ... bet'll dcsigned
with u good deal o f f'Hort and a will to find a spc('iul form, and I
find I am IJUt off by them. Th e arc hitect rf'sponsible for the build
ing is not prese nl , hilt he lalks to lIle unceas ingl y from eve ry detail ,
In' kt, C' p:s o n say ing th e same thing. and I qui ckly lo:s(' inlerC"st.
Good a re hit f'ct ure should rece ive the hum a n visito r. should ena hlf'
him LO cX I)erience it and li ve in it, but it s ho uld not co nstantl y talk
at him .
,"\ h)', I ofte n "onder, is the obvious but diffi (, ult so lutio n so
rare ly tri ed '? \"\ hy do \\c have so little eonfidenc C' in the bas ic
things archi tec ture is mari t' from : mate ri a l, structure, ('o nstru ctio n,
bearing a nd being borne, ea rth and sky, and confidc nc(' in spaces
that a rc reall y HlIowed to he spaces - sl)aces whost:> endosi ng wall s
and co nstitu c nt mat e rial s, concavity, c mptiness, light , air, odo r,
receptivity and resona nce arc handled with respe('t and care?
I persona ll y like the idea of des igning and building hou:ses from
which I ('Hfl withdraw at the cnd of tht' formin g process, leaving
be hind H building thaI is itse lf, that se rves as a place to li v(' in a nd
a part of the " o rld of things, and tha t ('an malli.lge pe rfcc tl ), we ll
\,ithout Ill )' pe rso llHI rhe tori c.
To Ill C. buildings can h3\ e a beautiful s ill.'!l(·c that I assoc ia te
"it h att rihutes suc h as composure. se lf-evidc lll.'e, durHbili l),. prcs
(, IW(' an d inlegril ), a nd with warmth and S('IlSUOUSIH'SS as \\ e ll ;
a huilding that is be ing itself, bei ng a building, no t re present ing
anything, ju::. t being.
Say Ihat it is a crude dfnt. hl ;:u.' k r(' d$,
Pink )e llo\\ s. orang(' "hiles, too IlHH·h as thf' )' are
To l>(, <1I1) thillg e lse in the sunlight of the room.
Too muc h as thf'y are to be c ha nged by metaphor,
Too act ll a l, things th at in he ing ITa l
'lake an) imaginings of th e m lesser thing:s.
This is th e beginning of the poe m " Bouquet of Hoses in Sunlight "
by the Ame rican I)' ri c ist or quiet contemplation , Wallace Stcvcns.
Wallace Sle\'e nS, I rpad in th e introducti on to hi s co llection
of poe ms, accepted th e challenge of looking lo ng, pati entl y and
exactl y and of di s-covering and und e rstanding things. His l)Oe ms
arc not a protest or a complaint aga inst a los t hl\\ Hnd order. nor a re
th ey the ex press ion of any sort of co nste rnation , but they seek a
harmony whi ch is possible all th e same and \\hic h - in hi s case
can on ly be Ihat of th e poem . (Ca lvin o goes a sle p furth e r along
thi s line of thought in an attempt to de fine hi s lit e ra ry \\ork when
hc says that he has only one de fe nse aga in st til(' loss of form that he
spes a ll around him: an id ea of lit e rature.)
For Steve ns rea lity was th e wishe{l- for goa l. Surreali s m, it
appcars, did not impress him , for it inve nt s without di scovcring. I-Ie
pointed out that to portray a she ll pla ), ing an accordion is to invc nt ,
no t di scover. And so it cro ps lip once again. thi s fundam e nt a l
thought that I seem to find in Williams <.l nd Handke, and th at I al so
sense in til(' pa int ings of Edward Ho ppe r : it is o n I)' bctwepn the
rcalit) of things and the imagination that the sl)ark of the work of
art is kindled .
If I tran ::.late thi s statement into archil ('(:tural te rms, I te ll m),se lf
that th l' spark of th e su ccessful building ('a n onl) hl' kindl(,d be
tW(,(' 1l tll (' realily oftlw things pertain in g 10 it and till' illli.lg ination .
And thi s is no rcvelation to IIH' , but Ih ... confirmation of sOlliething
33
I ('o nt illua ll y stri H fo r ill Ill ) wo rk . a nd th e confirma tio n o f a \\ ish
\\ho!)(' roo ts SC(' 1Il to 1)(' <1 (' £'1) ins i<i f' m(',
But to rc turn to tilt: qu('s tio n o ne fin a l t im e: \\ iH' re do i find Ih t.'
r('<llil y 011 whi e h i mu sl ('o ll ('(' nlrate my pm\t.' rs o fima g-in al io n whe n
Mt f' IllI, ting to design a building for a partic ular plan' a nd purpu5e'!
OntO k('v to til t.' a nsw(' r lies. I be li (,ve, in th(' words "placc" a nd
" I)ur pos(''' thCIllS(' h ('li .
III a n cssa) t.' nlill ed " Building D\\ l' lI ing Think ing," ~larlin
lI('ideggf' r wrot f': " Li\ ing a mo ng things is Ill{' ha::i i(' prin cipii' of
hum a n f'xi stc nct.' ," whi c h I unde rsta nd to mr an dlat we are neve r in
<Ill abstract world hut a lways in a world of things, e vc n whe n Wl' think .
And. o nce aga in I-Ieid('gge r : "Th e rel alio nship of ma n to pla('('s a nd
thro ugh pl acf's to SP<1('(,8 is based on hi s d\\ e lling in the m."
Th e conce pt o f (" H' lI ing, unde rstood in II c idf'gge r 's wide sc nse
of li ving a nd thinking ill pla t f' s a nd spacrs, contai ns a n ('xact refe r
e !l ec 10 what rea lit y mean s to /li e as an arc hit ec t.
II is not the rea lit y of th eori es detac hed from things, it is the real
it y of th e conc re t(' bllildingass ignm e nt re i:.lIing 10 Ih e aet o r stat c o f
dwe ll ing th at int f' rests me a nd upon which I wish to t.·o nce ntra le my
imaginat ive fac ulti es. It is the rea lity of bu ild ing mate rial s - stone,
d o th , stee l, lea th e r . . - a nd the rea lily of the structures
I use to constru et the Iwilding whose prope rti e s I wish to pe net rat e
with my imaginati on, bringing meaning a nd se nsuousness 1.0 hear
so th at the spa rk o f the successful building may be kindled ,
a huilding tha t ca n servc as a hom e fo r man .
Th e rea lity o f a rc hit cc ture is the conc rete body in whi ch fo rm s,
vo lum es, a nd spa('r s cOlli e into be ing. Th e re a rt' 11 0 id eas exe(, pt
ill things.
34
From passion for things to the things themselves 1994
It is illl po rlanilo 111 (' to rdl (,f'1 a houl a rc hit eC' tli n', 10 :-. t,' p h<l('k fro m
l1'I y cl ai l) \\ o rk and w k(' a loo k at "ha t I a m doing a nd \\ h) I a m
doillg il. I lo\'e doing thi s, and Ithink I Il('ed ii , too. I do not wo rk
lowa rd s <l r(' hil c('llIr(' fro m a tlwo rf'l i{'all y de fin ed po int of dqJar
tllr(" fo r I a m committ ed to ma kin g: arc hi tecture, to building. to an
id f'al of p{' rfecl io n. just as in Ill y boyh ood I used to ma ke th ings
ac(;ording 10 my ideas. th ings tha t had to be just ri ght, for rt' <l so ns
whi c h I do no t reall y und e rsland . It was a lwa) s th e re, thi .., d ('eply
pe rsonal feeling for th e things I made for myself, a nd I n(' ve r
thought o f it a s be ing anything sp('(' ial. It was just tll t.' rl'.
Toda y, I am aware that my " o rk as a n a rchitect is la rg(' ly a quest
fo r Ihis e<lrly pass ion , thi s obsess io n, a nd a n att e mpt to unde rstand
il be tl e r a nd to r(,fin e il. And \\h e n I re n ect o n wh(, th e r I ha\(' s ince
add ed ne\\ imag(,s a nd pass ions to the o ld o n('s, a nd wh etl1(' r I have
learned so mething in my tra ining and pract ic(" I r(' ali z(' that in
SOIll (, way I seem al ways to have known th e inluiti ve co re of new
di scov(' ri ('s.
Places
I Ii \'(, a nd work in the Craubtinde ll in a farmin g villagc surrounded
by In ountains. I sometimes wo nd t'r whc th e r thi s has influ e nccd my
wo rk . and th e thought th 'lt it pro ba bl y has is no t unpl easant.
" o uld th (' buildings J d ('s ign look diffe re nt if, ins tead of li\i ng in
C raub i.i nc)(·n, I had spr nt Ih r pHol 25 )ears in Ih e la 'Hlsca p(' o f Ill )
yo uth o n 111(' Il orth e rn foolhill s of th e Jura mount<l ins, with the ir
35
I I I
I
I I I
I
i I
I
roll ing hills and bccch woods and til(' fam iliar, reassuring vici nit)
of tilt' urbane c ity o f Basel ?
As soon as I begin to think abo ut thi ::. qu est io n, I rcali zp tha t Ill y
wo rk has bee n inftu cnc('d by many pIHc('s.
Whe n I con cc nlral (' on a specific sil e or pl ace fo r which I am
going 10 des ign a building, if I try to plumb it s depths, it s fo rm , its
histo ry. a nd ils sensuous qua lities, im ages o f oth e r places sta rt to
invade thi s pro(;ess of I)rcc ise observatio n : images o f I)laees th at
I kn ow and th at o ncc imprt'ssed me, images o f o rdina ry o r specia l
pla ces that I carry with lIl e as inn er visions of spec ifi c moods a nd
qu aliti es; images o f a rchit ectural situati o ns, whi ch e man ate fro m
tllf' world of a rt , of film s, th eate r o r litera ture,
Sometimes thcy co me to me unbidd en. th ese im ages of places
that a re frequ ent I)' a t first ghlllce ina ppro pri at(" or ali e n, images o f
places of ma n)' diffe rcnt o rigins. At othe r times I summo n th em. I
need th em, fo r it is o nl ), wh en I confront and compare th e essentials
o f diffe rent pl aces, when I allow simil a r, re lated , or maybe a lien
el ements to cast the ir light on th e pl ace of my in te rvention that the
focused, multi face ted im age of the loca l csscnce of th t" site enw rges.
a vision tha t revca ls connections, exposes lines of fo rce and creates
exci teme nt. It is now that the fe rtil e, c re<ltivc gro und appea rs, an d
th f' ne twork of poss ible approach es to the spccifi c place e lll f' rge a nd
trigge r the processes and decisions of des ign. So I immerse- mysc lf
in the place and t ry to inh abit it in my im agin atio n, a nd a t the same
t ime I loo k be),o nd it a t th e world of my ot hc r places.
When I CO Ill e- ac ross a building tha t has dc \ e loped a special prcs
enc(' in co nn ect io n \\ith th e place it st<lIlds in , I sometimes feel tha t
it is imbued with an inn er te nsion that rders to something ove r and
a bovf' th e pl ace it self.
It seems to be pa rt of the- essence o f its pla£'e, and a t the sa lll e
time it spea ks of th e world as a who l l~.
\, hen a n a rch itc('\ ura l des ign d ra \\ s 501f' ly from t radit ion an d
o nl y rc pf'a ts til(' dida t('S o f its sit e, I sellS(' a Im;k o f a ge nuine co n-
36
('c rn \\ith til(' world and tilt' (' manatio ns of cont c lllpOnlr) liff'. I f a
\\o rk of a rch iteeturc speaks 0 111 ) o f eont f' mpo ra r), t r(' nds and
sophisli (,<l tPd visions "itho ut triggcri ng vih ra tions ill it s place, this
\\ o rk is not <l ndlOred ill its si ((', and I miss th e specifi c gravit y o f th e
ground it staru.l s on .
Observations
1 We wl..' re standing arollnd the drawing ta ble t.llking abollt a pro
ject by an archil f'c t whom w(' a ll hold in high rega rd . I ('onsid f' rf'd
the proj l'd int e resting in Illlllly ways. I mentioned st'vr ral of its spe
ci fi c qll a lit if's a nd added th at Some tim e prf'violl siy I had la i{1 as ide
Ill )' pos it ive prejudice which spra ng fro m my high estim ati on of th e
a rchit f'c t and taken Hn unbi i.ls('d look at the project. And I had
come to the conclusio n tha i, as a whole, I did not re<llI )' like it. We
di scussed th e poss ible n'asons fo r my impress ion and ca lll c up
with a fcw dCl<lil s witho ut arriving at a valid co nclu sio n. And thf'n
one of lhe youn ge r nw mbe rs of th e group, a t<1 lc I1I ('<I and usually
rat ionall )-thinki ng a rchit f'c t, sa id : "' It is a n int e resting building
for a ll so rts o f lh eorf' ti (;a l and pract ical reasons. Tin' t roubl f' is, it
htls no soul."
5 0111 (' w(' eks late r, I was sitting o utdoors drinking ('o l'l'('e with my
wife <1 nd di s(,uss ing th e iss ll e of buildings with a soul. We talked
.a bo ut sev~ra l works of a rchitecture that Wf" kn f' w and desc ribed
tll('1ll to (,l.I{' h othe r. And whe n \\ c reca lled buildings th at had th e
ch aractf'r isti cs we we re looki ng fo r a nd pinpo int f' cI the ir spcc i<ll
q ua lit ies, we became aware that the re a re buildings th at WI..' love.
And wlH' r{'as we kne w alm osl at o n{' e whi ch OIH'S be lo nged to the
sl)f'f,ia l ('a l q~ory in which Wl' W(' l'e intf'rf'stf'd , we found it diffi cult
to fi nd i.I comm on de no minator fo r tilf'i r qu a liti cs. Our attempt to
generali zt' sce llll'd 10 ro b til{' indi vidu al bu i Idings o f t he i r spl t" ndo r.
Uut tilt.' subjcct ('ontinIl Nllo pn'y on my mind, a nd I r{'so l\ ed to
t ry a nd \\ rit (, SO lll (' bri r-f descr ipt io ns o f a rchit edura l situa tio ns th at
37
I lo\(" fragmf'lItary approaf'ilf'S basc{1 011 I'{'rsonal ('x!H'rij"l("' s that
haH' a ( ' orllH~l'lioll \\ilh til) work. allil in so doing to 1II0H' "itbi"
till' ~allle menIal fralllf'\\ork in \\hirh I think ,\hell I alll "onC" ~ rrwji
\\ith gl'llt' rating Ihf' csscntials of a \\ork of III) 0\\11.
2 Tilt, main 1'00111:, of till' slIIall mountain hotd u\f'rlook"d tllf' ,ai
ley 011 Ill(' hroad side of thf' long buildin~. It had 1\\0 adjan'nt
\\OOd - piIlH'lj'c! r{'('{'ptioll room s on 111f' ground floor, hOlh of Ihem
at't'f'.'is ihlr from the l.:orridor and ('onllcetcd b) a door. The smaller
of Ihrm loohd like a t'omfortable place in whil'h to s it ant! read ,
and til(' largel' one, with fiw well-plat'ed tabl,'s, was ('I('arly Ihl'
pla('(' ill whic h meals \H'rf' servc{L On tllf' first floor tlH'n,' Wl'I't
bedrooms " ith dl~ep , shady woodcn lJalconif's. on thl' second floor
more b{'druorns opf'ning onto tcrral.:cs.
I \\ould rnjo) looking: at Ihl' ol}en sk) from the upper roo 111 5 .
thought , a ~ \\f' approal.:hed the hotel for the firs t tilll(,. But 1I1f'
thought of M<l)ing in Ollt.' of the first floor room:, and n~ading or
\\ riting in til(' intimale atmosphere of tilt' shad) bakon) in the lal{'
afternoon secllled no less ;Il\iting.
ThNe \\as an opening in thc wall at the foot of til(' stair{'ase lead
ing from tht' upper floors to Ih(' f'nlralH.'{'. A serving hatch. III tll('
('arly aft"I'IIOOIIS it held fruit flan s and white pi<JI('S for tlie guesls.
Thf' SHIell of the fr(' sh flan s look us hy surpri sl~ as we ('HIIH' do\\ n
tilt' stairs, alld kitchen nois('s issuetl fro III the haif-op<'11 door of thl~
opposite room.
After a da ) or t\\O \\e knew our \\a, around. Thni' \H'I'(' del ·k
dlilir::. !:' tiwk('d ,dong the side of the hotel. \\ hi('h adjoin :, Ihl' rncild-
0\\. A lilll(' \\a) iHHI) , in Ihe half shado\\ at the l'dgl' of til(' \\oml ,
\\l' nOli('f'fi .1 \\Olllan silling in a dl~(' k ('hair. reading. \\e picked lip
t\\o or the t·ha ir:; and looked for a spot of ollr 0\\11. During thl' da)
\\(' muall) drank our eoff{'(' ilt onf" of til{' \\oodell rolding tahlt~s on
thr narrow Hramla at Ihl' fr·ont. Tlw)' \\t' re hiJ1~l'd al r<'gular ililer
\'al s alollg 111(' fronl parapf't. Lood places to s it , Iht'st' :-.rnalllalJles
3.
clingi ng to the edge of the \eranda; the sill \\as just til{' ri ght IH.'ight
for li se as a n e lbo\\-rcsl.
ConH' rsations \\ilh the other gllests usuall y too k pl<lcc <It dusk at
th e othe r verand;] tabl e's . placed in a row against the f<l ci.HIf' and
protpcled rrom til(' \\'('ather by thc proj(~ding uppcr floors. Th e
frc nch window to the Vl'nllHla was 0lwncd afte r th e even ing meal ;
we all stretched Ollr kgs und looked out over 1he \allf'y, and then
sa t wilh a drink h) th e walilhat was still "arm from the day's sun
shin e. Once, aftcr th c ev('ning l11('al, we were irwitrd to sit at th e
large corner tablc at th e far end of th e veranda near the entranct.'.
During the day, that spot always secmed to be us{'d by the regulars
o r the house. I neve r sa t in thi s ni che, which (,aught thc morning
SUIl at thc other e nd of th e veranda. On sunny mornings Ih e re was
usua lly someone a lready sittillg the re. reading,
Whe n I think ahout buildings that provid e nr c with natura l spa
tial conditions apr,ropriate to the place, to th e daily routinc , my
activities and the way I am fee ling, when I co njure up mental pi c
tures of works of architccture that give me space to live and seem
10 anti cipate and sati sfy Ill) needs, thi s mo untain hote l always co Ill es
to mind . It was des igned by a painter for hims(' lf a nd his guests.
3 Our first impress ion o f the outside of til(' r('stmrrant mad e us
hopeful that we had found something better th an the other places
tdong th e main road of the tourist village. W(' wen' not di sa ppointed ,
Entering through Ih e na rrow porch, \\hich , as it turn ed oul , was
built from the inside behilld the main doo r like a \\Oode n shed . \\c
found ourselvf's in a large, high-ceilinged , ha ll-like room , its walls
and ceiling lined with dark , matt, glea ming wood: regularly placed
frames and panels, wain scoting, co rnices, inde nted joists resting on
brae-h iS with ornam ental scrolls.
The atmosphe re o f til<' roo m seemed dark, e \ {'n gloomy, until
our eyes gre \\ accu s t onH~d to the light. TIl(' gloom soon gmt' \\(1 )
to a mood of ge ntl {' lwss. The daylight {'ntning through Ihe tall ,
40
rh ) thmi ea lly placed "indo\\ :) lit up ('(' rtain se('li ons of 111 (' roolll .
\\ hil e ot lil'r parl~ whi t' h did not I}{'nefil from the relll'l'lioll o f Ihe
light fro m the pane ling lay \\illl(:In.l\\n in half-s hado\\ .
As :;oon as I f'ntf'red the 1'00111 Ill y e)'l' was ca ught by a n rx tpn si on
in th e' ('(' nt (> r of the long out e r wall , a s('rni-cireular hulge largc
ellough to accommodate fi\ c ta blr'S along the ellrv('11 \\all by the
\\indo\\s. Th e floor of the roo rn -Iwig ht nich e was o n a slightl y
higher I(' \ e l than the res t of t1w hall. \0 doubt a bout it , I th ought.
thi s \\ as \\here I wallted to sit. '1'\\ 0 of th e tables were still free. Th e
I)f'o pl!~ sitting there . doubtless ordinary gucsts of th e rest aurant ,
had a privileged air about thelll .
We hes itated and finall y d('cided on a t;] l1l e ill Ih e' almost e mpty
main part of til(' hall. Yf't we Ir esitaled again , and inst('ad of silting
d O \\11 \\ (' \\('nt in search of sc n ·icc, Afler a \\hil(' a girl a l)l)e<l re(1
through <.1 door in the pane ling of the inner wall ;:lIId led us to a
tabl!~ in til(> ni che. We sat down , The slight fep ling of irritation
occasiOlH'd by our arrival soon abat(>d, We lit our firsl ciga rettcs
and ordered some win e.
At lil e next table two \\om en W{'fe holding an anirnatNI conver
sa tion. One of th em was s l)eaki ng AmericHn. th e other S\\i ss Ger
man , i\eithcr of thelll spoke a \\ o rd in the other's language. The
vo ices of th e peopl e in Ih e grou p aL the nex t table but 011(' sounded
pleasa ntly far awa y, I 100k('(1 around and gradually absorbed th e
mood . I fe lt at case silting in th t' li ght of one of the windows, whi ch
no\\ see med talle r tha n (' \'('r. and looking into til(' dHrke ncd
ex panse o f til(' hall, The other gUl'stS, busy \\ ith thf'ir ('onversa tions
and the ir llIf'als, a lso seemed Iwppy to be sitting there; they be
haved naturally, undi sturbed by other pf'oplf" s prese nce, with an
uncon strained ('onsidcrate ll l'ss for tllf'ir fellow gUl'sts which le nt
thelll an air or dignity. Oceul,i (' d as I was with my own activiti{'s. my
gau neH'rlhclcss alit occasio nal! ) o n other fan:.s . ~rnd I rf'alized
th aI I liked tire fee ling of tlwir proximity - in thi s roo rn in \\ hi ch
we alllook('d our best.
41
I 1
' I · 1
4 Dri\ i n~ H long a road on the t:oast of Ca Ii forn ia , we fi lIa Il y ani vl'd
at the ~dlOolthat was li ~ted ill tilt:" <lrchite(:turiJl guidt,: a spr.m ling
t'o llll'ln of p~l\ ilions s l}rt~ad 0111 O\t~r a hHgf' ("panoe' of fl at land
high OHr tht' Paf'ific. Barel) any tref' ~, karsti{' rock thrusting
through tilt' turf, a f('\\ hous{'s in th e immediate vi('init~. TIH~ ro\\ :')
of tall. :-. ing l('-sto re y buildings with nat. projc (,ting roofs \\Crl'
co nlll'l'ted b) a:-. phalt paths covc red b) l'OIUTl'tl' ~ Iabs on stet,l
l'OIUIIIIIS, anti Ihe rq;ular arrangelllcnt of tin' paths alld jJa\ilions
which al'l'l'ar('d to accolllmodate the chlssroorns \\<lS IH .. 'riodi(·ally
illtl'rruplt'd by buildings \\ith a spec ial function at which \\ (' could
olily gu('ss .. It \\as during the sc hool holidays, and Iht' ("ompl('x waS
d(' s(' rlt'(1. Thi' windows \\('rf' Sf'! high up in til(' \\alls, and il was
hard to S('i' into the classrooms. We came across a larg.' Ilwtal door
to u side ('o llrlYHrd which seemcd to belong to one of till' classrooms ..
It \\ . IS s li ghtl ) open, and \\c managed to catch a glimpse of iJ roo III
\\ith dl'sks and a blill: kboard. It \\as plainly furui shed . Th c \\alls
and Ill(' iloor sho\\ cd signs of int e ll si \ c usc, ;'lIId tlie (hi) light e nter
ing through Ihl' high \\illllo\\s knl the room an allllospht'rl' Ihat
\\as hoth (·ollc('nlratcd and genllc.
Prot N·t ion from Ihe sun , shelter from til(' \\ind and rain. Hn
int c lligl'nl approadl 10 the iSSIlf" of lighting, I thought : and I W(I"
aware' Ihal I had hy no Ilwans graspNI all Ill(' Slwfific qu a lities of
this urt'hill'cturf' - thf' st raightforward si mplicity of il s slrIlClurf' ,
for exalllplf', \\ hidl W<lS reminiscen t of industrial prf'( 'a:-. I cont'r('lf"
l'oll!o.tructions, or its spac iousness, or its lack of the pe(iUnlic refine
IIIcnts thaI ahound in st.: hools in Switzerland.
'I ) \ is il had bec n \\ortll\\ hil c. Onn' again, I rt'SOhl'" to ht'gin
III ) \\ork \\ilh Iht· ~ illlpl e, practica llhings, to lII<1kt' th (.':')(.' things big
and good <lnd \)('autiful. to makc thelll the :; t;'l rtill g l)Uilll of till' SPt'
cifir forlll. lik,' a ma:-.lf'r builder \\ ho ullderstand ., hi s 1lH'liN.
5 \t tilt' ag(' of ('ightc('n, \dlf'n I \\as approaching Ill<' ,'n(/ of Ill )
apprt'ntin'ship as a cahinf'tmaker. I mad I' my fir1'!t sc lf-df's i~n('fl
42
pit'ces of furniture. The master cahint'llIIakn or th(' dient deter
milwd the form of mo!'t of the furnitun' madl' in our shop. and I
s(, ldum lik"d it. I did not {,\l'n like Iht' \\ood \\{' used for tilt' besl
pi('("(':o,: \\alnui. I C'ho:.c light-colored ash for 1lI~ Iwd and (· upboard,
and I lIIad f" tlwlll so Ihat thl') looked good on all !'oides. \\ith til{'
l'oa llle \\oocl and the sa llie ('iln:.-ful \\ork hack anll front. I di srf"garded
th(' II sual pract ice of '-"Iwllding I( 's~ linll" and C;.Irf" on the back
hf'Ca ll Sf" no one eve r sees it <l lIy\\<I) . AI long la l'o l I \\ <lio; ahlf' to round
off Ihe edges only slight!) wilhollt being l'(lm~('\ed, running lhc
sa lldllaper swiftly and lighlly ovcr Ih(' Nlg,· ... 10 sofh'n Ih e ir sharp
ness wilhout losing the elcganr·(, and filH'Ilf"SS of tht' lines. I barely
lout.:hed the corncrs where thr('(' I'dgl's [II('('\. I fiuI-' d thc door of
Ihc c upboi.lrd into Ihe frame allhe frollt with a lIIaximum of prcc i
sion so Ihat it closed almost lH'rlll (, ti ca ll ), \\ill! a gc ntle frictional
rc~ i !)tanl'e and a han· ly audiblt' sound of e~l'a pillg air.
I ff"1t good working on thi s c upboard . \laking the prnisf" l) fit
tingjoinls and f"xact shal)CS to form a \\ holc, ;'l cO mplCIl' ohjf"C't that
('or r('sponded to my inner vision. tri gger{'J in IlW ;,l sta lf' of intense
cOIl(,f"ntration. and th e fini shed pi('c(' of furniturf" ad(lt~d a fresh
Ilf"SS to my environment.
6 The idca is Ihc 1'0110\\ ing: a long, narrow hlock of basalt sto ne
I'rojc(;ting a good tiJrc(' sto r(' ys oul of tllf' ground. The block is
hollowed oul on all s id('s until on I) a long lIIiddl(' rib and a numbe r
of IranSH'rse, horizontal rihs rrmain. SI'(' II ill l.:ross-sl'l'tion.
the imagined block no\\ looks lik" a gl'ol111' lri ca ltree or Ihl' 11'It('rT
\, illl Ilircl' horizontal ~trokes: a ~ ton(' ohjl'ci 011 thl· outskirls of
tilt" Old '1'0\\11 . dark. almo~t hlal'k. lIIatt. gleaming - a nd at Ill('
~a llH' limc tlw load hcaring and :-. pat ial :-.1 ru(·tun' of a thrf"t~ -"Ior)
building -. (·<1::t in dark stained lTlIlt'n\. jointl,,~!,> , \amish('d with
"tOIIf' oil. "ith surfa cc..'s thaI feel lik ... paraffin \\ax. Door-:-. ized
opcnings in the ribs, simple holt, !'> in 1111"' stOlle . npose Ihl' sheer
lIIass of the material.
43
We hal1(II (' thi s Slon e sculpture with th e utmost ('arc. for ,' v,' n at
thi s stage it is alrp,uly almost tlw whole building. \y/p tiesign the
joints of Ih(' bO;.Ifds in \\ hich it is cast like a fine nel\\ork covering
allille surf;:J('cs "ith a rpgular patlt'rn. and W{' ilre l:<J rdulto rnsurp
that the joint s ari sing during Ih e seetion-\\ise casting of tlw ('on
('fele \\ ill di sapprar into tlw net\\ork. The thin s({'cI franH's Ilroject
ing frolll til(' slon e like blades in the middl e of th e door arc intt-nd
cd to hold 111(' wings of the doors, and lightweight glass and slw('t
Ilwtal pancls arp insc rted betwepn the sto ne consoles of till' floor
slahs so tliat th e inlf'rll1 ediate spaces bClwef'n th(' ribs hnollw
rooms likt, glazed verandas.
Our clients arc of til{' opinion Ihat t1w careful way in which we
treal our 1lI3tcrinls, the way wc develop til{' joint s and tr;:nl sitions
from one cie llwnl of th e building to Ihe other, and th e precision of
delailto "hidl Wf' aspire are all too elaborate. Thry want us 10 li se
more ('om mon compon ents and constru ctions. tlwy do nol wanl liS
to make sll ch high demands on the craftsme n and t('c hnic ians who
are co lla borating with us: th ey want us to build more r heapl ),.
Wh en I think of the air of qualit y that til{' building could
evenlually (' Illanate on its appointed site in fi\'e years or five dec
ades. when I conside r that 10 the people who will eneollntf'r it, the
only thing that will count is what they see, that whi l: h was finally
('o nstrul:led , I do not find it so hard to put up a rcs iSlanC(' to our
ciipnts' wishes.
7 I r(,vi sited Ihe hall "ilh th e niche in the e nd wa ll thut Ilikefl so
lIIuch and \\hi ch I lri,~d to t1 esc rilH' earlier. I was no longer surp
"hether th £' Iloor oflhe niehe was rea lly on a hig her IpH I than til{'
rest of Ih (' hall. It was not. 'Jor was the diffe rence in brightn ess
betwcen Ih(' niche and the hall as great as I re lll cmi>er('d it , and
I was di silpl)oint('d b), Ih e dull light on th e wall panc ling.
Thi s diffcre nc(' be twcen tilf' rcalil y and my memuries did not
surpri s(' Illt'. I havp never been a good obser\'f'r, and I Il<Iv(' lI£'ver
44
rcally wanted to be. I likp absorbing moods, moving in spatial situa
tions, and I am satisfied wh en I am ablf' to ret a in a feeling, a strong
ge neral impression from whidl I can latN extrac t delail s as from
a painting. and when I ca n wond('r wh,11 il \HI S that trigge red thc
sc nse of prot ection. warmth. lightness or Sl)ac iousness that has
st<lyt'd in my memory. Wh en I look bal: k likc this it scems impos
sible to di stinguish between a rchil ('(;ture and life. lH'twee n spatial
situ ations and the way I expericn('c Ih em. Even when I concentrate
exclu sively on the architecture and try 10 t1nde r::l land what I have
seen , Illy perception of it resonates in what I havc experienced and
thus colors what I have ohserved. J\1(,llIorips of similar ('X peri
CIH.:es thrust their way in , too, and thus images of related architec
tund situation s overlap. Th e diffcrence in the floor levels of the
ni che and th e hall could well have e;\isted . Pcrhar's it c\en did ex ist
once and was hlte r removed? Or. if it was ne \cr therc, perhaps it
should be added. as an improvclll f' nt to th e room ?
No" I have fallen back into my role as ' HI ar('hitect , and I rea lize
onc(' morc how mu eh I enjoy working with myoid pass ions a nd
inwges. and how they he lp me 10 find whal I am looking for.
45
The body of architecture 1996
1 I "as int (' rvi cwec/ by tlw curatoroftlw IllU Sf'IIIll. 1I f' !rird to sOllnd
Ill e oul hy means of clever, un ex pected qu estions. \vh fll did I think
about IJrt' hit('cturc, what was important to IlIf' abollt my work -
,hCSi' W('r(' the things he wanted to know. The tape r('('ordf'1" was
on. I did my 11('51. At til(' f'nd of the int e rview, I rl'i.liiz(·d that I was
not rcally sati s fi ed wilh my answers.
LaIN thut evening, I talked to a friend ubout Aki Kauri smiiki 's
latf'st film . I admire the director's em l)athy and rr s[l('(' t for hi s c har
acters. lie <lo('s nol kee l} hi s actors on a leash: h(' doC's not ,~ xploit
tlwlIl to ('xprC'ss a conc('pt , but rath e r shows tlwm in a lighllhat IN S
us sense their dignit y, anrl their secrets . Kaurism iiki 's a rt I('neis his
fi llll s a feeling of warmth , I told Illy colleague - and Ihe n I kllf'w
what it was I wou ld have lik('d to have sa id on the tape thi s Illorn
ing. To build hOll ses like Kauri smaki makes film s - that 's whut I
would l ikt~ 10 do.
2 '1'11(' h01f'1 in which I was staying was remodf'lf'd by a French stur
desiglwr whos(' work I do not know becau se I am not interested
in tr('nd y d C's ign. Bul from thc mom e nt I e nlerf'd Ill(' hOI ('I , the
<'Itrnosplrer(' {' rratC'd by hi s architecture bega n to tak{' (·ffcct. Artifi
c ial light illIJllIinat t' cI thr hall like a stage. Abundant. Imllt'd light.
Bright acc('llIs on the rt'('eption desks, differl' lIt kinds of natural
ston C' in nidles in the wall. Pf'ople asccnding till' gra(,eful sta if\\HY
to Ihe e ncircling ga ll l'ry stood out against a shining golde n wall.
Ahovc, Olle ('oult! s it in one of the dress circl (' buX('s oVl'rlooking
till' hall and IlI:lv(' a drink or a sna(·k. Tlwn' art' onl) good sea ts
II('fr . Chri slopher Alexander, who speaks in " palt('fn languagt:- of
48
SIHllial situations in whit'h people inSlillcti\t'l) ff't~ 1 good, \\ould
11 ,1\(' been pleast·d. I sat ill a bo'\ oH'rlookin~ til(' hall , a 1) p ('('1310r.
f('ding that I \\3 S part of til(' dt~~ igller's sla~l' St'l. I lih·d looking
d O\\11 on Ih f' aCli\it )' helm\ "hert' propl(' ('<1111{' ilnd "cnt, e nte red
and .,' xilcd. I felt I unde rstood \\ h) til(' iJr('hit f'd i ~:;o ~lJ(:CCSs rlll.
3 She had S,'(,II if small house b) Frallk Lloyd \\ right th at made a
gn'a t impress ioll 011 her. said II . It s rooms "t're so slllall anrl inti-
111<11 (' , th e ir ('(' ilings so 10\\. There W<lS a lill) library with special
I ighl i ng a nd a lot of d('('oral iv(' a rdl il ('('I ural (' Iemellt s, and t h(' whole
11011 5(' Ilwrh' a stro ng horizonta l impress ion which she had never
cxpf'rif'necd befor('. Th(' o ld lady was still living tlH'rc. There was
110 need for me to go and sec the house, I thought. I klww jusl what
she mea nt, and I knew the feel ing of " holllf' '' Ihat sh t' described.
4 Tht~ IlI c mb('rs of the jury wt're shown buildings by architects
co mpe ting for a n architectural a\\ard. studied the docume nts
dcsc ribing a sma ll red house in a rura l se lling, .1 barn converted
inlo a d\\ C' lIing whic h had Iwen c nlarg('d by th e architect and the
inhabitant s. 'I'll(' ex ten sion was a suc('(' ss, I thought. Although yo u
('o uld srt' what had bCC'Il donI' to Ih(' house be nca th th e saddl e
roof, Ihe changl' was w('lI-mode led and integrated. 'I'll(' window
o penings werr s('nsi-tive ly (>Ia('('d. Thf' o ld and the new were bal
anced and harmonious. Tht' n('w parts of thr hou se did nol see m to
be saying " I am new," but rathe r " I alll pari of Ihe nf'W whole."
J\othing spec tacular or innovativc. nothing strikillg. BasC'd prrhaps
on a so IlI C \\ hat outdate{1 dcs ign prim·iplc. all o ld - fa shioned
approach attuned to crafts llIanship . \\ c agr('('r/ that \\f' could not
a\\;:rrd thi s conversion a pri zl' for tl l's ign - for that its architectural
cl;:rims \\ere too modest. Yet I (' ujoy thinking ba ck on the small re d
hOll !,C'.
49
5 III a book about tilllbN constru ct ion . III ) attention was caught
h) photographs of hugf' areas of close l) pack('d tn'e trunks floatin g
011 \\ide cxpanses o f \\ater. I al so liked th(' picturf' 0 11 tiH' CO\f'r of
till' book, a collage of lengths of wood arranged in laye rs like a cross
scdioll. The nUlllerous photos of woodf'1l iluildings, despite tile fat't
that they \\ere ar('ilitf'dUrally commendable, \\LTe less appealing.
I huH' not hllilt \woelf'1l houses for a long tim e.
A )ollng collf' aguf' askcd me how I \,ould go about building a
how, f' of wood after \\orking for sO lli e )cars \\ ilh stone and con
nrtf', steel and glass . At once, I had a IlH' ntal image of a hollSf'
sized block of solid timiJer, a dense VOIUIIII~ llJa<i (' of til(' hiolog ical
substance of wood, hori zo ntall y layf'rNI and prf'('i sely hollowf'd
out. A howl(' like thi s \\0,11<1 changf' its s hapt'. ,\ould swell and
('onLnH't, f'xpand and ck(Tcl]se in he ight, a ph <.'nulll cnon that \\ould
havf' Lo Ilf' an integ ral pari of the design. \1 ) )oung co ll eague lold
Ill f' that in Spanish , hi s mothe r tongue, tll(' words \\Ood , rnotlwr
and mate rial were s imil;H: "madera ," " Illildrf'," " materia." Wf'
started tal ki ng about t he sensuou s qualit ics and ('II it II ra I s igni fi ca ncf'
of tht, clemental mat eria ls of \\ood ami s tOllf'. and about how \\e
t'oultl express the::,c in 0111' huildings.
6 C('nlral Park SOlllh , Nf'\\ 'ork , a hall on Ihe fir~1 floor. It \\as
t' vf'ning. Beforf' 1Ilf' , framed by the soaring, shining. slony city, lay
th e- huge wooded rf'ctang-ie of the park . Creat l: ities are based on
gre-a t. df'ar. well-ord('red concepts, I th ought. Th e r(,ctangular
paltnn of the streets. the tliagonal lint' of Broad\\a) , tllf' coastal
lines of tile peninsula . Tilt, buildings. packed d t'IH,{' I) in their right
angled grid, loollling lip in Ihe sky, indi\idualisti(" in love \\ith
Ihl'IIiSelV('S, <lllonyrnolis. r('f'kless, tamf'd hy thf' straitjal'kcl of thf'
g rid .
7 Tlw for mer to\\niloll l':o (' looked somc\\hilt l o~t in the I,ark- likt ,
I~ XpaIl Sf'. It was til{' onl ) huilding in thaI part of til(' to\\11 10 ha\t~
50
survi ved Ihl' d('stru ctioll ofthl' 5 l'('o nd \Xorld \'('ar. Pr(' \iousiy use{1
as an {' Illhassy. it was no\\ hf'ing cnlarged by a third of it s original
siu <It'{'o rding to the plans of a t'o lllpet e nt archit('cl. I-lard and self
asslIrf'd , til e ex t(' ns ion stood sidl' h) sid(' with the old building; on
th e one hand a Ilf'wn stOIlt.' basI', stu('co facades and lJalustrades, on
the otll{'r <I compressed rno(krn allll('X made of exposNI {'oncrctc ,
a rt'slrain NI. di sciplined \'0111111(' , which alludt~d 10 tIl{' old main
building \\hilf' maintaining a (Ii :o. lin et, dialog i(' di ::, tant ·{' in terms of
it s design.
I found llIy~ clf thillking a hout Ihl' old castif' in my \ ilhlg(" It has
been a!tcrt'd and extended many tillles OVf'r the centuries, df'Vf,lop
in g gnuJllall y from a clusler of fr('('- standing buildin g:-l into a dosed
cOlnplex \\ith an inne r courtyard . A nl'\' archit('{'tural whole
e merged at {,<14'h stage of it ~ {le't~lopm e nt. Histori('ill incongruities
\\ere not ar(,hitecturally reco rded . Th e old \\as adap(('J to lile lle\\ ,
or the nc w to the old , in tlw intt'rcs t of thc complete. integrated
appearancc of it s latesl stag{' of cvolution. Only whell Olll' anal yzes
Ihe suhstancI' of the \\all s, strips them oftllf'ir plaste r and l~xamines
tllf'ir joi nt s do these old huiltlings r('\('al their eompl(·, g{' IH"sis.
8 I f'ntercd the exhibition pm ilio n. Once again. I \\ a:o. confronted
hy s iopillg \\<ll1s. s lanted plan{'!'), surfa{'cs linked 10010('11' and play
full y Logethf'r, battens and 1'01)('5 hanging, lealling, floatin g or pull
ing, taut or project ing. Th e composition di sclaimed tlw right-angle
and sought a n informal balan cf'. Th e art'hil('cIUrf' mad e a d) narnic
illlpr(' l':os ion. symboli zing mO\ f' U1l'lIt. It s gesturf's fill ed the mailable
spa('{'. \\<lnting to be look('d at. to make their mark . Thf'rf' was
hardl y any room left for Illf' . I follo\\l'd Ihe winding path indiealed
hy till' arl'hill'dure.
In tile II t'x l pavilion I IIlt' t with tllf' spaciou s d('g;'IIH'f' of thl' Bra
zilian lIliistn's ~weeping lint'S a nd forms. O"('t~ again. III) interesl
\UIS ulpt urNI b) the large room.., and tilt' l'1lI1)tinl'5~ oftbl' hllg.~ out
dour !:o P,H'{':,> in the photos of hi s \\ork.
51
9 \.Iold lI1e Ihal sllf' had ~t'l' n man) la ll OOt'd '\OO1en o n till' beach
of a small M,.- aside reso rt ill Ihe '"Cinqu(' Terru" region , i.I holida)
dcstination visited mainly hy Ita lian s. TIH' wOlllen underline the
indi, idual;t ) of their hodies. use thelll to F)roclaim thl·ir idt~ntity.
The horl ) as'1 rduge in a "orld ,\ hidt \\ould appear to Iw nooded
b) artificia l signs o f lih~, and in whieh philoso phers pondt'r on virt
ual realit y.
The human hody as an obj('('t of ('Ollh.'lIlpOrar) a .. t. Su rH'Ys,
di sdo::> un' :o. Ihilt seek kno\\INlg{'. or tlu' human hod) il:o. OJ feli sh of
sdf-assntion which can only slI('('eed wlH'n looked at in the mirror
or Sl'l'll through the cyt's of ot he rs!
This autumn. I visitl'rI thr- roolll wi th th l' f'xhibition of ('ontf' ln
porary ardtitntural projt.oe ts frolll FralU'(,. 1 saw shining objects
made of glass , gf'nt le sh apes, \\ilhollt l'dgt's, 'Iilut, ('Iegan t ('urves
rounding off the geo ll1 e lril'al vo lum es of the ohjects ilt specific
points. 'l'lwir lines remindC'd n1(' of HOllin's dr;:mings of nullt,s and
endO\\ cd the objects "ith the (Iuality of ~:l(' tdpturf's, Archite('tu .. al
models. Models. Beautiful bodies, celebr;.lIions of surface lexture,
skin , l1('rrll etic and nawlt~ss, embracing tilt' hodies.
10 A glass purtition di\ic/,'d up th e length of thc narro\\ co rridor of
the old hOlel. The wing of a door below. a firm ly fixed PiJlW of glass
above, no fnw1(' , the panes damped and Iwlt! at the conwrs hy t\\O
metal clasps. Norma ll ) tlon('. nothing sl)ecia l. Cl~"liJinl)' nol a
design b) an architect. But I lik{'d the door.
Was it h('eause of Ihe proportions of the two l)al1('s of glass. the
form and position of lite clamps, tht, gleami ng of the glass in th{'
muted ('olors of tile dark ('orridor. or \\a8 il hr-('ause the upper I)an{'
of glass. "hidl \\as lal l.~ r thall tht, .. ,erage-height swing door Iwlow
it, emphasizcd Ih~ hl'ighl of the corridort I did not know.
11 I \\3 :0. ~hown some photographs of a ("o lllplil'at ed huilfling. Dif
ferl~nl a rt'a ~, planes, <lnd \ollimes seenwd to oH·r lap. slanting: and
52
('recl, ellt'il l,stllaled OIl(' "ithin Ihe oll1('r. Th e building. \\holSe unu
sual apP(· 'JrHIH.'C gaH' Illi' no ,,\(oar indil:<ttion as to il" funr'tion.
made a .... trangel) o'r'riomll'd and tortured impress ion. SonH'how. it
se('med I\\o-dinl£'nsional. For I mo 1lJ(' lit I thought I \\ a:o. looki ng at
a photognlf)h of a I:ardhoard moJt~ l , ( 'olorfull~ paint l'd. Later.
,,11('n I Il'arllNlthe ltallll' of Iht: archit(,( ,t, I \\as shock.'d . Ilad I
mad e 1.1 Illi ~tak." a pre maturl' , ignorant jlltlgnl('nt'? Thl' ar('hitC'('t's
name has all intl'rnationa l ring. his lilH' a rchit('('tural drawings are
\\ell kilO" 11 . and his \\ .. ill(' n ::> t'lt('I11('nts aboul conlelllpOrHr) an'hi
lecture, \,hie lt al so d('al "ilh philosophical themes, an~ "idcly
publi shed .
12 ,\ to\,nholise in \tlilhallan \\ilh a good address, just ('om
piNed. 'I'll(' Il£' \\ fac<I(k in th,' line of til£' street of huildings stood
ou t di stinetly, In the photograph s. tl1(' natural ~tone shit· lr!. sur
rounded b) glass, looked like a backdrop. In rea lity, the fat'ad~ was
more unifo rm , lIIore integrated in its surroundings. '1 ) instinct to
eriticiz(' vanished wlwn I entered the hOllst'. Thc qualit ) of it s con
struction (·aptu .. ed my aILcntion. The i1rchil('('t receivt'd li S, look us
into the ,eslibule. and sho\\ ('d us from room to rool11. The rooms
,\ere spac ious, their order logica l. We " c rt:' {'ager to ::>e t~ {'aeh suc
(;('eding rOOIll . and we "('1'(' not di sa ppointed, The qualit y of the
daylight e llt('ring through the glazed "{'ar fa cade and a skylight
o\{'r the slairs "as pleasant. On all tlw floors. the prf's(' nt·c of the
intimat e back ya rd around \\ hidt til(' Irwin rooms \\cre groul)ed
was pereCI)\ible, even at the heart of tht' building.
The architect spokf' in n' slJ('l'tful , amicabl(' !('rms of tlH' ('Iients,
the nc" I) insta lled re!' ici{,IHS. of their und erstanding of hi s work.
of his dforts to l'omp l)' "itll tlwir requirenwnts. and oftht' ir criti
cislll or sOlli e impractica l aspects which he subsequently improvcd.
li e 0pf'lwd t"llpboard doors, lowered the large serim hlinds, which
suffused Ihl' li ving room" ith u Inell(1\\ light . sho\\ cd us folding
partitions, and (lemonstr31('d hugl' !ming doo rs Ihat mo\(,,1 noise-
53
less ly l)('t\\ ('c lI 1\\0 pi vots, d osing tightly and prec ise ly. EH· r) now
and tll(.' II , he to ut hed til(' sur faee o f so mc llIaterial. o r ran hi :5 hands
ovcr il ha ndra il , a joi nt in the wood, the (' dg(' 0 1' ;:1 g lass pa ll (·.
13 'I'll<' to \\n I " as visiting had a I)a rti cula rl y att rar li\(' ne ighho r
hood . Buildi ngs fro m th e 19th ce ntury and til(' turn of t1H' ('(· ntur) .
solid vo lum es 1,lact e! ;:do ng th c slr('f'ts and s(Jl w res, tO Ii Mru Cled of
slonc a lltl bri ck. No thing f'xcf' pti onal. Typicall y urba n. '1'11 (, publi c
premi ses on th e 10wI' r fl oors fac f'd til(' road , th e dw(· llings and o f
fitT S .. bow' re trf'a ted Iwhind protective facades, hitlillg pri vat (·
sph e l'(,5 hr hind prf's lig ioIJs fa ces, anonymous faccs, clearl y divorc
('d from tlw puhli c space whi eh began with a hard (' d gl~ al til(' 1'001
of the facades.
I had bee n to ld tha I a numbe r o f architccts li vf'd a nd \\orked in
this ne ighbo rh ood . I re membered th is a few days later whe n I was
looking at .. 1 Il l' \\ neighho rhood nea rhy. design cd hy well-known
architec ts. and I found Ill ) sc lf thinking about the unequi \oca l
backs .. wd fro nts of the urhan stru ctures, the prec isely a rti cul ated
publie s l)ac(,5, til(' g rar iously restra ined facades and exac tl y fittin g
voluInes for th l' hody of the town .
14 WI' spent years de v<.·loping the com:c pt , th e form , and the wo rk
ing drawings o f Ollr stonc-built thc rn .... I baths. Th cll constructi on
bc~all . I was standing in front of o nc of the first bloeks that th l'
nwso ns had built in sto ne fro m <l nearb) quarry. I \\as suq}ri sed
a nd irrit ated . A It hough (' v(' ryt h i ng co rrespo nd f' d (,xartl ) \\ it h 0 11 I'
pl ans. I had not eX lw t-tf'(1 Ihis con('urrf' nt ha rdncss a nd softn ess,
thi s smooth )<' t rugged qu a lit y, th is iridesce nt gray-gree n prcsc l1(:c
f' mana li ng fro m th e squ a re sto ne blocks. Fo r a moment , I had th e
fc{' li ng Ih at our project had escaped us and be('o nl l' ind (,' pcnd cnt
hcca ust· it had {'\'o l\ ed into a mate rial e nt ity tlwl ol)(' )'cd it s own
la w ~ .
54
15 I \i l'i ited all ('xllibition of \\ork hy i\lf'rf'l OPI)('nlwim at tilt'
Cuggf'nlwirn \lus(' ulll. The techniques she uses an' slrikingl)
\arit'd. Tlwn' is no continuous, consist __ 'nt sl) Ie. \c'Hrtht· lt·ss,
I e)'perit'IH,t'd Iwr \\a) of thinking, lIer \\0.1) uf luoking at till' \\orld
alill of illtt'rHllilig in it through hef \\ork as coh(,rent <Inti illtq~ral.
50 1I1t'n' i.-: probably no point in \\ondefingju iil what it is Ihat ~ t y li 1)
ti('all~ l illk~ 11](, famou s fur ('UP and the snake mad(' up of pit'c '('~ of
coal. Didn 't i\!.'fl't 0PIH'lIheim OIH'C say thaI ('\('ry idt'a llC'cfi:-. its
proper 1'01'111 to lit' (,ffnliv(,'!
56
Teaching architecture, learning architecture 1996
'oung pt'ople go 10 lIni\l'rs il~ with tlH' aim of hecoming ardlil('cls.
of finding oul if Ih(') h<l\e gol \\ hal it li.lkt'~. \\ hal ii'! the first thing
\\1' should teach th{,Ill'~
First of all. w(' Illust f'xplain 111<11 the person stant/ing- in front of
!lwIII is not somf'OIH' "ho asks fI"f' Slion s whOSt' an"'w('rs he already
knows, Practicing architecturf' is asf...ing OIWSt· It' qUf'stion.\', finding
olle's 0\\11 answers wi th the heir' of tlie ({,;.!Chcr, \\hiltling down ,
finding solutions. O\('r <Hal ovcr again.
The strength of a good design licl:'l ill ourl:'leht's and in our ability
10 pf'rcei\e the \\orld" ilh both elllotion <lnd f('a~o n, '\ good architec
tural dcsign is Sf'nsuous. A good architectural dCl:oign is intelligent.
\X'f' all cxperience ar('hit('('turf' heforr \,(' hil\(' l'\('11 heard the
\\onl. Thc roots of architf'('tural undf'rstanciing lir in our art'hitec
tural ex pericnce: our room , our hou !'('. our sl rcet , our village, our
tOWII, our landscar}C - we exp('rie IH'e them all earl) OIL un('on
sc iollsl) , alld wc subsequenliy compar(' thelll wilh the (,ountrysidc,
towns and houses that we l''''perielll'l' lat ef on, Thc roots of our
understanding of archit(,(,turc lie in our ehi ltJhood, in our youth;
thcy li c in OlJr biograph), 5tudcnt~ have 10 Itarn 10 \\ork con
sciously with their personal hiographical e:\. I)('riellccs uf arehit('c
tur('. Thcir allotted tasks are dc\ised to s('( this pro('('55 in motion.
\\ e ma) wonder what it was that \\(' likNI about thi s hOllse, thi s
10"11. \\hilt it \\as that impressed and lotwlwd liS - ami \\h), What
\\as til(' roolll like, the square. \\h al did it r('all ) look like. "hal
smcll was in the air. \\ hat did TI'l) foot steps sound likf' in it, and my
\oif'c, how did thc noor fee l under Ill y ft,(,t, lite door handle in my
hand , hm\ did tlw li ghl strike til(' fal"-ttll's, "hal \UIS the shinc on
57
1I1l' \\<1115 likf" ! Was tllNt:' a fecling of narro\HI CSS or \\idth. of inti
lIl :'u') or \'ast lU'ss?
\\oocien floors like lighl IIlcmbranes, hem ) l'o lon e mass('s, soft
li'xtilt's , polishcd granite, pliable leal her, ruw i:i t ecl , poli shf'd
mahogu ny, {'I'),s tallillt.: glafoos, so ft asphalt wal'nl{'t! by Ihc sun ... the
:'1I'4..'hiICC" S materials. our materials. W(' know 111('111 all. And yt"
\\e do not kno\\ th e l11 . In order to dcsign. to 111\('111 architecture, \\{'
IllU ~t learn to handle thel1l \\ith a\\arf'ness. This is r('search; thi :,
is the work of n ·llIcmlwrilig.
Architecturc is always con{'l'('te matter. Ardlitecturc is 1101
abst ract , but com;rcte. A plan , a project drawn on (laper is 1101 al'('hi
I{'cturc hut merely a ilion,' or less inadequate rcpfl'scntation of
arthit('cture. comparablc to sheet music. ~Iusie necds to be pe r
fOl'llwd. Architt·ctll"t.~ IW('cls to bc cxecuted. The n it s hody ca n CO Ill L'
into being. And thi s body is ah\ays se nsuous.
All dt'sign work start s fromllw premise of thi s physica l, ohjecli"f'
se ll suou sness of architeclur{', of its matNials. To ('xpericnce al'('hi
t('cturc in a concrete wa) Ill('an s to touch , sec, hear, and slllcli it.
To di scO\er and conscio tl sl) work with Ihesf' qllalities - tlwse are
the th e lllf's of our tcaching.
All the design \\ork in the st udio is don e \\ith materials. It always
aims direct l), at co ncr('t c things, objf'('ls, installations made of real
matcrial (clay, stonc, ('opp1.'r. stf'pl , fe lt , doth. wood, plaster,
bri( ·k ... ). Tht'r(' are no 1;<'lf(lboard models. Adually, no --models" al
all in Ihc t'oll\pntional s('nSf·. but connett' ohjccts. thrcc-diml~ n
siollal \\orks 011 a spct: ifie scalf'.
Thc drawing of st:alc plans a lso bcgins \\ith the t:H Ilt:ff'te objet:! ,
tllll s r(,vcrsing th e onlcr of " id ea - plun - (,OI1('rl.'le object " which is
:sta ndard pradiec in professio llal archilf'('!lIrl'. Firii t th e concrcte
objccls are cons truC1f'd: thclI th c-) arc drawn 10 S(·a lf'.
\\ e carr~' imagf's of \\orks of architpcturt' b) "hich we have becn
influenced arollnd "ith us. Wf' can re-ilHokt' lIwse illlugc-s in our
mind 's c)e and re -exa mill(' th(,lll. But thi s tlOt~S not )'I't makc a ne\\
58
design , n('" a rchitecture. EH'r) design needs 11('\\ illliJg:es. Our
-'old" imag('s can on ly hell) us to filld new ones.
Thinking in images \\hcll des igning is alw<.1Ys dir('(:tNI towards
the who le. By it s very nature, thc imagc is always the whole of the
imagin ed realit),: wall and floor, (·riling and materials, til(' moods of
light and color of a room, for (·x<.ul1p lf'. And we also sec all the
detail s of Ih e transitions frolll the floor to the \\all and from the
wall 10 the window, as if " c \\crc "at(' hing a film.
Often however, they are nol si mpl y there, these visual el('ments
of th e image, when we start on <I df'sign and try to form an image of
th e des i rctl ohject. At the hegi nn ing of t he design prot:l'ss, I hc i muge
is usuall y inco mpl ete. So w(' try repeatedly to re-articulate and
clarify our themc, to add th e miss ing parts to our imagined piclUre.
Or, to pUI it another way: \\e design. The concrete, sc nsuous qual
ity of Ollr inne r image hell}:;; li S he re . It helps li S not to get lost in
arid , ahstract th eo retical assumptions; it heil}S li S not to lose track
of thc cOllcretc qualities of art:hitecture. It he lps us not to fall in
love with the graphit: quality of our drawings and to con fu se it with
rea l architectural quality.
Produc ing inn e r images is a natural process co mmon to t'veryone.
It is part of thinking. Associativc, wild , free , ordered a nd systematic
thinking in images, in archikclura l, spatial, colorful and scnsuous
pictures - thi s is Ill)' favorit(' cldinition of design.
59
A way of looking at things
lecture, written November 1988, SCI-ARC Southern California Institute
of Architecture, Santa Monica
The hard core of beauty
lecture, written December 1991, Symposium Pi ran, Slovenia
From passion for things to the things themselves
lecture, written August 1994, Alvar Aalta Symposium, ~Architecture
of the Essential," Jyv8skylii, Finland
The body of architecture
lecture, written October 1996, Symposium "Form Follows Anything,"
Stockholm
Teaching architecture, learning architecture
Written September 1996, Accademia di afchitettura, Mendrisio, Switzerland
6'
Peter Zumthor
1913 Born in Base l
19SH Train ed as a cabinf'tmak(,f
196 :~ KUllstgewerbeschulc Bas('l , trainrd a!'l a de::o iglll'l"
1966 Prall In stitute , New York , \isiting slufi(,l1t in ar(' iJit('Clure
and design
196M
1970
Architect in the 1)('1'<11"11111'111 for till' Pn'sl'natioll of
MOllulllellt s, Canlon of Gn.lllbiindt'n , 5w il,wrland
L('('t U 1'('1', liniv('rsity of Zurich , on Ih(' ~ lIrvt' yi ng and
maintenance of vernacular townSf'apl'S
1979 Own pradit.:e, I-Ialdenstein . Crallhiind('n
1988 \ ' isiting professo r, SC I-AIl C Southern C.diforni a
Instill/It' of Art·hiled ure , 5.1 111 .1 \loni('a
1989 Vis iting: professo r, TcdHlisl·he L niH' rs il iit , \lunidl
\'\'orkshop, Graz SUlllm er School , \lI stria
199 t Fello\\. Akadt'llli (' df'r Kiinslt', Bnlin
1996 HonoraI') memher, Buml 1)(, 1I1 5t'iwr Ar('hilt'kl(,ll , BDA ,
Cermany
1996 - Professor at the Accacif'mia di archil/,tlllra , lInivers il u
della Svizzl'ra Italiana, Mt' n<lri sio
1999 Kenzo 'range Visiting Professor of Archih'cllirr. (;ra duatf'
SdlOOI of Des ign . llarvard Lniwrsit)
63
Peter Zumthor
Thinking Architecture
Translation : Maureen Oberli-Turner
Editorial assistance: Catherine Schelbert
Design : lars Muller
after a concept by Hannele Gronlund
Typography: Atelier lars Muller
Typefaces: Berthold Bodoni and Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk
Photographs: Helene Binet
Photolithos: Ast & Jakob AG, Koniz
Printing : Konkordia Druck GmbH, Buhl
Binding : Buchbinderei Spinner, Ottersweier
Paper: Z- Opak W, 100 g/m2
This book is also available in a german language edition (ISBN 3-7643-6100-X).
By the same publisher:
Peter Zumthor Works. Buildings and Projects 1979-1997 (ISBN 3-7643-6099-2),
Peter Zumthor Hauser. 1979-1997 (ISBN 3·7643·6098·4).
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the library of Congress,
Washington D.C., USA.
Deutsche Bibliothek Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zumthor, Peter:
Thinking architecture I Peter Zumthor. [Trans!.: Maureen Oberli·Turner.
Photogr.: Helene Binetl - Basel ; Boston : Berlin : Birkhauser, 1999
Ot. Ausg. u.d.T.: Zumthor, Peter: Architektur denken
ISBN 3-7643·6101 ·8 (Basel .. .)
ISBN 0-8176-6101 -8 (Boston)
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of
illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways,
and storage in data banks.
For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained .
licence edition with the kind permission of lars Muller Publishers, P.O. Box 912,
CH·5401 Baden
c 1998 Peter Zumthor and lars Muller Publishers
C for the licence edition 1999 Birkhauser - Publishers for Architecture,
P.O. Box 133, CH -4010 Basel , Switzerland
Printed on acid -free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF r
Printed in Germany
ISBN 3-7643·6101 ·8
ISBN 0-8176-6101 -8
987654321
64