Customer Reviews

Peter Zumthor Thinking Architec*OP*

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Reading this book was like reading a long-lost secret manual of
"How to become a 21 century Samurai..." I guess that sense of delusion rises because the content and the tone of book has this (quasi) idea of medieval perfection achieved through a repetition of hands-on practice. "I do not work towards architecture from a theoretically defined point of departure, for I am committed to making architecture,," writes Zumthor.

Moreover, a reader, at the back of her/his head, has those powerful images of Bath House in Vaals (tour de force of phenomenological experience) that intensifies the delusion. One would think, 'Zumthor must be a man from Mars to build architecture like that' and 'his writings must be a strong sleeping pill.' Usual Suspect !

He writes extremely clear with extremely simple terms. This slim book tells us how an architect of such originality thinks and experiences daily life. It's a great pleasure to find out what kind of music (Mozart's piano concertos) zumthor listens; what kind of artists (Beuys and Merz) he likes; what kind of film he watches (Ettore Scola's film Le Bal); what kind of books (Calvino) he reads; and what kind of sayings ("the hard core beauty") in the radio show captivates him. A former cabinet maker, his book is carefully jointed, just like his buildings. Anyone who found this book fun/inspiring to read should also try Alvaro Siza's "Writings on Architecture"

A thoroughly engaging book about meaningful architecture - it now holds a very special place in my architecture library, right next to Michael Benedikt's For An Architecture of Reality.
Excellent for anyone interested in Peter Zumthor's work.

This book is an excellent intorduction to Zumthor's architecture. This book makes us think about what is essential in architecture, why and how you go about creating the "real" presence of built environments (at least, we get to appreciate Zumthor's perspective on it). Most importantly why that matters for us as well as for Zumthor. We think we knew and we think we understood. But, reading this book, I realized how much I have forgotten and how important it is to remind ourselves of some of the significant and yet, simple truths in thinking of built environment. He describes these in plain but powerful words. For me, his view on the "real" presence of architecture was very appealing. In seeking 'factual truth' in architecture, Zumthor explains what matters to him in his consideration of "specific" contexts and issues. This book gives us some clues about why his buildings exude such extraordinary aura and how they might have been conceived. It is not about big abstract theories no one understands. It is not about complicated geometry or formal exuberance so many contemporary architects seem to be obsessed with. It is a relatively short but, very powerful book. It's highly recommended. Peter Zumthor, one of the real masters in architecture today talks about his desire to design a building that takes on its own life afterwards. To him, the real presence of architecture doesn't require any rhetoric or any further explanation. His architecture is not about form-making and certainly doesn't stem from digital processes. It is not about rhetorical/ critical diagrams as a point of departure. It is not necessarily about sustainability. His architecture doesn't seek to be showy and spectacular. It seeks to "belong", belong to the context, site, and surroundings, therefore to our presence. Creating the new but only in a way that enhances the existing. From another perspective, it is about "place-making": making a place/ spatial conditions that become part of our physical presence in this world. His pursuit of the real and the essential seems solidly grounded in modernism. And yet, he is capable of going beyond the capacity of modernist architecture the way we are familiar with. It has something to do with his focus on "atmosphere"-making. To him, making spaces always comes with a certain concept related to atmospheres. He explains his understanding of "atmosphere" in architecture in another book. Zumthor may be called one of the pre-eminent architects of the "New Modern", which differs from post-modern. It is unexpectedly refreshing to read his words. Just like anything else in life, doing basic things well is important and if you do, that alone could take you quite far. Such an admirable architect.... He once said 'Life is too short to compromise'...... Good for him. I wish I could be like that.....

In many ways, the reading of this book reminded me of the writings of Louis Kahn: both explicit and metaphorical reflections on the inner complexities of the apparent simplicities of daily life. The selections of almost inscrutable photographs, extreme close-ups of sections of Zumthor's house, act as as another way to explore the intensity of the artist's and his art's soul. All along the book, and in a very poetical manner, phrases seem to be left hanging unfinished, as for one's own mind and sensibility to put together the pieces of and intriguing and inspiring puzzle that remains open and to be developed by the reader. While the voice of a master is always heard, the message is delivered with the subtlety of his work, as for the reader not to feel forced into a way of thinking, acting or perceiving, but invited to stay with eyes, mind and all senses open to enjoy the pleasures of life and the possibility to contribute to them by one's own minor but never meaningless actions.

It reflects the knowledge of a big architect that Zumthor is, one thousand words that make you learn a diferent way to look at things and to create a rational way of thinking about architecture.

As an architecture student, I found this book very very interesting, because Peter Zumthor has a different way of "thinking architecture". His own way. A way in which I had never thought of it, so it actualy opened my mind for some aspects that are not so frequent in the learning of architecture.

The shipment was fast and the book was in fantastic condition. Zumthor explains his approach to the designed world around us. This book is for individuals who are serious about design that can amplify human emotions and experiences. All architects/future-architects should care about the quality of architecture as much as Zumthor does.

I'm a graduate architecture student and this book was recommended to me as a 'classic' architecture read, especially in terms of phenomenology. It's good, inspiring, but either too thick for me to get much out of or just kind of a random collection of thoughts. Either way, I like the hardcover and am glad to have it in my library.

Zumthor's _Thinking Architecture_ and _Atmospheres_ are iconic additions to the lexicon of architectural theory. Zumthor is a humble giant, and his concern with the phenomenological experience of the user, as well as with the performative aspects of building, point the way to a twenty-first century architecture that is kinder and more responsible than the architectures of the twentieth. This is a must-read for all architects and designers, and if you find yourself thinking Zumthor to be ho-hum or you don't agree with him, I ask you: As an architect who do you serve? If your answer is one rooted in a wider ethic, Zumthor will resonate with you.

Zumthor is incredibly talented... there is quite some difficulty in not only creating simple, beautiful, natural and intentional architecture, but also something even more difficult in relating it verbally. Thinking Architecture does an amazing job at that. This is a book you could return to every few months, and it will re-awaken your senses to the architectural world around you, as well as your memories and experiences with those environments. Zumthor truly does give an excellent source of thoughts and events in this book. Extremely recommended, "Atmospheres" as well!