llruilm
* d rllel:*llFi
ir.r+nE
Peter Zumthor
Thinking Architecture
Second, expanded edition
Blrl
Basel
s
er-Pu
bllsh ers fo r Arch iteccu re
. Boston. Berlln
AWay of Looking atThings
The Hard Core of Beauty
From a Passion forThings to theThingsThemselves
The Body of Architecture
53
Teaching Architecture, Learning Architeciure
65
Does Beauty Have a Form?
7l
The 14agic of the Real
83
The Light in the Landscape
89
A Way of Looking atThings
ln search ofthe lost architecture
when I thin< about architecture,
images
come nto my mind.
these images are connected wlth my training and work
as trn
l"1any
of
architect.
They contain the professlona l
chlldhood-There was a t me when I experienced architecture withour .hinl(ing about it. Sometimes I can almost feel a particuLar door hand e in my hand, a piece of metal shaped like rhe bacl< of a spoon. I used to tal(e hold hand e
sti
seems
of
r when I went into my aunt's garden.That door
to me lil(e a special sign of entry into a world of dif-
fcrent moods and snrells. I remember the sound of the grave under rny feet, lhe soft sleam o{ the waxed on< staircase,I can hear the heavy n
ont door closing beh nd me as I wa
l<
along the dark corridor and en-
tcr the (itchen. che only really brightly lit room n the house. Look ng back, it seems
as
ifthis was the only room
in the house in which
thc cciling d d noc d sappear inro twilighqthe small hexagonal tiles of rl,c {loorrdark red afd firted so tighdy togetherthat the cmcks between rhcm wcre almost mperceptiblc, were hard and uny elding under my l, ct. irnd ir smell
ofoi piint
Ivcrytlring iborL th
issucd from dre kitchen cupboard.
s kitchon
wrs typicr of r L,;rditionil
il rboul r lir( tn,rli.rt^ I wrs ir st the fact that ll wns r() v(,ry fnrc[,50 vcr y mrrr,rlly ,r krll lr,1r .rr h,rs r]rpr intcd i$ memo yrrlr blyori riy nrri,l llr, .'llf,,\,1!,t,'l rli, (r,,,,i\irrsoLrrby lfkcd
w rr no(liin! spc.
with my idea ol a
handLes
that came after the hard e on my
aunCs garden gate,
about the ground and the tloors,about the soft asphalt warmed by the sun, about the flagsrones covered
with chestnut eaves in the autumn,
and about all the doors that c osed in such different ways, one rep ete
and dignlfied, anolher wi!h a thin, cheap c atcer, others hard, imp acnb
e, and intimidating
...
lYemor es like !hese contaln the deepest architectuml experience that
I krrowThey are the reservoirs of the architecrura almospheres and images tha! I explore in my work as an architect.
When I design a building,l frequenrLy find myself sinl
I
to
me at the
try to think how it cou d help me now ro revive that vibrant
armosphere perv:ded bythe simpLe presence ofthlngs,in which every-
thing had lts own specific place and form.And a rhough I cannot trace any special forms,there is a h nt of fullness and of richness that makes me
think:this
have seen before.Ye!,at the same rime,I know that i! is
a I new and dlfferent. and that
there is no direct reference to
a
former
work of architectlre which migh! divulge the secret of the memory-
Made of materials To me, there is someching reveal ng abouc che work of joseph Beuys :rnd sorne ot drc is rhc prc.isc
i
16Ls of the
Artc Povcra group.Whrt lnpresscs
me
irid scfsuous wiy d)cy rsc )ritcrii s.lL sccf)s rnclrorcd
ir irr rx , nr., oruriLl()owlc.lgc iboLr rnns
Lrso
offDr.rlr s,irrlir
'Flt
.i
"* r-
.fr-q+Ftr.,, {: ,,-d,{S
the same time to expose the very essence of these materials, which
is
rhe rules rhrt Bo!ern the
beyond all cu turally conveyed meaning. I
try to use materials like this ln
rny
worl(.I believe thatthey can assume
a poetic q!allty in the context of an
ifthe archltect
architectur: objecr, a rhough only
is able to generate a meaning{ul situatlon
for them,since
Construccion
is
s|u.trre o[ the
is possible to apprehend
nL5r(
the art of ma
Buidings are witnesses to th
e
human abilityto consrruct con c rete th ings.
I believe tha! lhe real core of all architectural work lies in the act of construction.At the point in tlrne when concrete materla
rnaterials in themselves are not poetic. The sense that I try ro instlll into mater als is beyond
alL
rlles of com-
position, and their mngbility, smell, and acoustic qualities are merely elemen.s of the language rhat we are obliged
when
t
the individua threads of the musical fabfic,
to
use. Sense emerges
succeed in bringinS out the speci{ic meanings of certain materi
s are assem-
bled and erected, the architecru.e we have been looking for be.omes part of the real world.
lfeel respecrfor the art ofjo ning,the abilty ofc€ftsmen and engineers. I
am impressed by the knowledge of how to ma
als in my buildlngs, meanings that can only be perceived in iust this way
the bottom of human sl(ill.I try to design buiLdings that are worthy of
in thls one bu lding.
$ls knowledge and merlt the challenge to this skil.
lf we worl< rowards thls goal, we must constandy asl( olrselves what
Pcople often say a
the use of a particu ar material could mean ln a specific architectural
care and skil that its maker has aylshed on a carefu ly constructed ob-
throw new light on both
iecr.The notlon that our work is an integml part ofwhat we accomplish
the way in which the material ls generally used and its own inherent
Lr(es us to the very limits of our muslngs abolt the value of a work of
sensuous qualities.
irr,
lf lve succeed in this, materlak in architecture can be made to shine
rcilly inherent parts of the things we
context.Good answers to these questlons
can
lot of wor< went into this ' when they
sense the
n work of architecture. Are the eftort and sl(il we put into them make? Somellmes, v/hen I am
nroved by a work of architecturc in the same way as I am moved by
,,rusic, terature, or a painting, i am cempted co think
so.
Worl( within things
It is said that one of the mos!
imprcssive th n8s
abolr che music of
lohann Sebastian Bach is its"architeclLrrel hs consrru.tion seems clear and transparent.
lt
is possible ro pursue the decails of
h.rmonic, .nd rhyrhmicil conrposir
or rs r
Thc rnrstr
s(Dr\
who r()
lr
c
e
$e
m€odic,
For the silence of sleep {rvc uLrsic.The
'l',,,'
s
. b..r..d\
ow nrovemcnts of l"lozi ts piifo conccrros,lohn
o,,lc u',,'r Jtl' 1"
,\r'
,"ii,n
org
cmcfts withoLrt los fg tlrc fccling for the
thc
l).rso.l
wlt c rt
nrikcs sc|sc of drc dclriLs
Lrporrr.lcr, ! (r{r(rr',irr(l f wcrrrcc
lli(, lirfrinrbliryro rivLrir rii(,rl(.,,
ir
J
|
, r
r
,
,
..
,
, r
, i
'
Ir
ry |s inrirzcs
But the wor d of sound also embmces the opposite of me ody, harmony,
and rhythm.There is disharmony and broken rhyth m, fragments and
if the promise has the
p
a longing
for its Presence.
lf .he naturalism and graph c virtuosity of architectura Porcraya s are
our imaginarion and curl-
clusters of soLrnd,and there ls also the purely functionn sound thar we
too great, if they
cal noise. Contemporary music works with these elements.
osity aboutthe reality ofthe draw ng can penetrate the image, rhe Por
Cont€mporary archkecrure should be just as radical as contempo-
trayal itselfbecomes the object ofour desire,and our longingfor lts re-
mry music. But there are limits.Although awork ofarchilecture based
a
on disharmony and fragmentation, on bro
so!ct!rn
disruptions may be able to convey a message, as soon as we
underscand its statement our curiosity dies, and
a
that k le{t ls the
I a promise. t refers only to itsell Design drawings thar refer to a reality which
stil
les in the future are
r.rch the delicace point of reprcsentatlon when the Prevailing mood
a symbol, but
see( emerges, and I stoP before inessentials start detracting from jts
for life which goes on in and arolnd t,
mpact.The drawing icself must take on the quality ofthe sought-for ob-
it primarily
as an envelope and backSround
I -polnts to the intended reality beyond ir.The portraya no longer holds
with
has its own realm.lt has a special physical relarionship
ife. I do not think of
iry vvanes because there ls litt e or nothing in the representat on that
imporrant in nry worl( I continue worklng on my drawinSs untll they
question of the building's practical use{ulness.
Architeclure
acl( "oPen Patches" where
as either a message
or
'o| the .l /!hn o'foorsleps o'r rhe
floor.
ror le
lcct.lt
s like a s
ptor for his sculPture, no. merely an i-
luscmrion of an idea but an lnnate part
c/rcentratlon or woa<.ror the silence of s eep.
ofthe work of creation.which
cnds w th the constructed obiect.
,/'Preliminary promises ln its fnal, constructed form, architectlre
These sort of drawings enab e us to step back,to ook, and to learn to has its pace in the con-
crete wor d.This is where it exists.This is where ir makes its statement.
understand that wh ch has not yet come ln!o belrg and which has jusr smrced ro emer8e.
Portrayals ofas yet unrealized architecturalwor
to give a voice ro something, which has not yet found its place in rhe
Chinks in sealed objects
concrete world for which lt is meant.
Bui d rgs :rre arlific
Architectlra drawings rry !o express as accuratey
as possibl€ the
aura of the btrilding in its lftendcd p ace. gut precisely the effort of rhe portrayal oftef serves ro undedine the ibserrce of rhc
rctur
ob
iecr,:r'id whi. rhcf cfrcrges s .f rwircncss of ihc ini.lcqrlircy of iny
ot portr,ry,rl. r Lr|os ty .rlnn,r I
r
rc,r ry I t, r,
i !r!. I !l
t{.r hipr
a constr ucrions.They consist of single Pafts which
nNst be ioined togcdrciTo a lirge dcgrcc, the
qu:r icy
of the fnished
,l ry . I,r.,rr,/ J . o,.\ ln sc!lptLrrc, drcrc s r trrrlir rrr r[irrrrrrrii/c!rlrc!]tPrcssionofrhc .Lt
,, \ anr- ,
l(,1irs lr
ifd
,,'
ioins bcrw.r,,
rlx \|r)t( trirr!
Ur
(lrir.l Sc,i.,\ !ro(, ol1r', r'.1,,r, r r,,,, l,'
lrv(n (,f rhc il.
l, I
r"
ovor
fornr
lr),,,,)lt(,,(rr\ irr(l
integralas the stone and wood sculptures ofolder sculpturaltraditions.
l'lany ofthe installations and objects by artisrs of the 1960s and 70s re ly on the simplestand mostobvious methods ofjoiningand connectinS
.hatwe l(now geuys,
14
erz, and others often used loose settings in spac-
cs. coils,folds, and layers when deve op ng a whole
from rhe individual
p.r$.The direct,seemingy self-evident way in which these objects are is !nteresting.There is no interruption of the overall im-
fur logether
th:t
prcssion by small parts
have nothing
to do wlth the object! state-
,iient. Our perception of the whole is not distracted by inessential de-
riils. Evcry touch, every join, every joint is there in order to reinforce
lic idea of the quiet presence of the worl(.
l
..''l .*,$'t'.*,r;*S&i " .;;''
Whcn I design buildinSs,I try to give them this kind of presence. How-
|vqt ,tL,
r,
un lke rhe sculptor, I have to start with functional and technical re-
rcmenrs rhat represent the fundamentn tasl( I have to fulfill.Archi'
rrurc is always faced with the challenge of developing n whole out of
,i,i,,nrerib
e
details,out ofvarious functions nnd forms, materials and di-
,ir( nsiofs.The architect must ook 1,,, (,(lgcs and
joints,for
for rational consrructions and forms
Lhe points where suffaces intersect and differ-
, rrr rrrrrcrirls meet.These formal deta ls derermine the sensitive tran-
.,r, ),i\ within che lirrger proportions of the building.The detai s estab,1,
rlic lornril rhytlrr, the blr ldings f nely fracrionared
I ), r r ,
l\ cxprcs, wha!
v.,,ir lr)int
, , r,,ni,
r)
ir
sca e.
dre b.sic idei of ihc dcsiSn requires
i!
lhe re -
nrc obiccrrbclon8ins or scpilrirtiof. cension or lightness,
.lrry, fr';rl,iliry
l),r,,1. wlidr rlxy ir'1[,m\\1,,1.,ri,]ii,r ,ji{,,( (l{,.orrrion Thcy
'i ! ,lrr'r(( ,,r wlu,lr
()r i,r({,r(.rrr l1r,y
rlr{,y.rt,r,r fl,,t'ft
11,.r,1
1,.rtr
t,, ,,r,ixl,,\r,,ri.1in}t
do
of rlrc wlrdc
There is a
mag
ca power in every completed, self-contained creat on.
It is as if we slccumb to the rnagic of the fully deve oped architectural body. as
O!r attention is calght,
perhaps for the first time,by a dettrl such
two nais ln the floorthat hold the steelplntes bythe worn-out door
When we loo< at objects or buidings tha! seem ro be at peace within $emse ves, our perceprion becomes ca rn and du ed.The obiects we perceive have no message for Lrsithey are simPly there. Our percePtlve faculries grow qu et,unpr-eiud ced,and unacquisitive.They reach beyond
sigfs nnd symbo sithe/ are open, empty.
step. Emotlons well up. Something moves us.
lt is irs f we cou d
see some-
rhing on whlch we cannot focus our consciousness. Here, in thls per-
ccprra vacuum, a memory may surface, a mernory thac seems to lssue
Beyond the symbols ''Anything goesl' say the doers. l'1aln Street ls almost
a
rightl'
says
Venruri,rhe architect. Nothing works any morc,' say those who sufiei
from the hosti ty of our day and age.These statements stand for conrradiclory opinions, if not for contradictory frcts.We get !sed ing
to
iv
with contradictions and rhere are several reason for this:tradltions
nom rhe deprhs oftime. Nowour observation of the object enrbraces .r
p cscfLlment ofthe world n a I its wholeness beca!se there is noth-
drir cannot be ufderstood.
,+t
llrcrc is a power ln the ord nary things of everyday life, as Edward lloppcrs pnnrngs seem to
say.
Wc only have to look at chem lonS
crumble, and with chem cu tu.al ideftities. No one seems rer ly to un'
dersrand and control the dynamics developed by economlcs and po itics. Ever),thing merges jnto eve.ything e se, and mass commun cat on
C,'nrpleted landscap€s
r,, i!, tlic
creales an artificial world of signs.Arbitmr ness prevails.
I
Postmodern ife cou d be described as a srate in which everything beyond our own personal biography seerns vague, blurred, and somehow
unrea.The world is full of signs and info rmarion, which stand for th ngs
that no one fully Lrnderstands becalse they, too. turn out to be mere slgns
for other rh ngs.Yet the rea thing remains hiddef.No one ever
gets
to
see lr. Neverthe ess, I anr convinced thnt real things do exjst,
however endangered .hey mxy be.There are earlh and water, rhe ight of the sun,lindscapes and vescr.rlofr rnd rlrere man, such as machincs, tools,
thcy are,
P-.s.r..
whicl) ls
c
for
!( I (.v,l(
rir
fr.i.
or
ire
objecls. mide by
nrusicirl inso.( rIcn15. which
.
c
wrrt
v. r clcs for iri ir r s( ic rrcssrgc, rf(l w rose
presence of cerrain buidLngs has something secrec about
ltr./ sccm s mp y to bc there.We do no! pay any special attention
, , ili,.hr Afd ycr . is vircuir ly ,
to lmaSine che pace where
.,r.,,i( wirhour rhem.These buildings ippear ro be anchored firm-
,/
r ' ' rli,, ), ound.They I r1,,,
,,,,
nrposs ble
I
l'
1,,v,.,
!i,
i)L,n.lings
g ve rhe impress
on of bcing a self-evident parc
aid $cy sccnr.o be s.ying:
'
:rm as yolr see me
,, r| lio cl'
l,,,ro
r.rteclcs
ictod.srrrsrchb! ldIrts.brildingsrhaq
n rlm€,
, w ,.,rnl/ rirol)crrrt)r rolr|.f.rnrir.l lrstoryof tlrcLr plce. I !, r I w w!, L,n.,, lirr(! rL n rir|r v,,,i,,,i r \lr\ Lf,( l, iroii.il s ri r I r .i .,,rl .lr(,1ir.,( ily,,l rli,.,,,r,,v, ,r,,i,irr.r1 rli, ricwbL,.l ,,,) i,',, i,,,,r11 ,1,.,1()JlL! rt ',"1 ,r',I)'.L,t,t .lr,.rli,,,,i,
with the existing sjtuation. For i{the intervention is to llnd lts place, it
materials,the inner forces of bear n8 and ho ding,the human work that
must make us see what already exists in a new iight.We throw a srone
is inherent in man made things.
into the water. Sand swirls up and settles again.The stir was necessary.
Per Kil*eby once dld a brick sculpture in the form ofa house for a Docu-
The stone has found its p ace. But the pond is no longer the same.
menta exhibition in Kassel.The house had no entrance.lts interior was
I belleve those buildings onLy be accepted by their surroundings have the ability
to
appeal
ifthey
to our emotions and minds in various
ways.
intrccessible and hidden.
lt remaned
a secret, which added an aura of
mystica depth to the sculpt!re's other qualities.
Since our fee ings and understanding are rooted in the past,our sensu-
I
ous connections with a building must respect the process of remem-
be organized in such a way that they endow the body of the building
bering.
w rh
sut, as John Berger says, what we remember cannot be compared
to
thinl( that the hidden structures and constructions of a house should
a
quality ofinnertension and vibration.This is howvio lns are made.
They rem nd us of the living bod es of nature.
the end of a line.Various possibilities lead to and meet in the act of remenberi'rg. lnaSes. moods. Io ms. words. sr8n..
or
,
omDdr
i\or\ opel
Unexpected truths
up possibilities of approach.We must construct a r"dial system of ap-
hr nry yourh I imagined poetry as a kind of co ored cloud made up o{
proach that enables us to see rhe work ofarchitec.ure as a focal point
irorcor
from diffe.ent angles
slnr
u
ltaneou s ly: hlstorica ly, aesth eticalLy, fu n ction-
ally, person" ly, passionately.
ess diffuse met2phors and alusions,which,a thouSh they mlght
lx {,rjoyrb e,were n
dlfllcu t to associate with
a
relable view ofthe world.
! irr rrchitect, I have earned to understand that the oppos te of thls
y{nr lrfrl definition of poetry is probab y c oser
The tension inside the body Among
I
al rhe drawings prodrced by architects, my favorites are the
i
to rhe truth.
work o{ architecture conslsts of forms and contents that conbine
!', ( (,ice r strong fundamentn mood powerfu
enough
working drawings.Worl(ing drawings are detailed and objectve. Cre-
lr,ry t)osscss Lhe qua itles of a work of art.This art
ated for th€ craftsmen v/ho are to give the imagined object a materla
rrql
form,they are free of assoclative rnanipulation.They do not try to con-
wrrlr inli8hts end understand fg, and ibovc
vince and imprcss like projec! draw ngs.They seem to be saying:"Thls
!.rr y
is exactly how it will lool(l'
r'. r,, f
Working drrw
ngs
rre like anacomical drawings.They revea something
ofrhe secrer inncr tcfsron luctnn. lo
diyulSc c rIt
d
t tlrc frnrhcd rrclrirccturil body
,,1 yri r rq,
1r
rlrLcn u(,(rrcrry. (lrc
s re-
f|iction of
,
has,
to affect us, it
howevet noth'
to do widr inceresr ng confgurations or ori€inality. lt is concerned
.ll with truth.
Perhaps po
r\ Uncxpcclcd n udr. l. I ves in sri llress Arch tecture\ arr sric rask
nr
iv. rlris srill cxpccmncy r fotrn Thc br ldirg i6elf is fever poerrii,)!(, r rrry posscss sLrbtk qrrrlrtrcr. wlrrr
' |,rrt rrr to Lrrrlc[sLrrrr] s()r! , r ,tL r,.rl) s w.ry Irl,)r' 'i,,1
rlrl,r| rl,.rr w. wt
,
h,
rt ccrtr
r
rtr
rr rnorrrcnts,
v,r rb c to rrdcr
Desire The clear, logical development of a work of architecc!re deperds on ratlonal and objective criteria.When I permit subjectlve and unconsidered ideas to lntervene in the objectlve course of the design process,
I
acknowledge rhe siSnificance of personal fee lngs in my
worl.
when architects talk abour their buildings, what they
say is often ar
odds wirh lhe statements of the buildings themse ves.This is probabLy
connected with rhe fact thar they lend to talk a good deal about the
ritional, thought-out aspects of their worl( and less about the secret
pi$ion that inspires t. Tlrc design prccess is based on a constant interplayoJ feeling and rea ion.The fee ings, preferences.longings,and desires that emerge:nd de-
rrind ro
irrlfg.
be given a
form mlrst be contro led by critical Powers of rea
buc ir ls our feellngs that
tel
us whether abstract considemtions
i(.rlly r ng rnre.To a large degree, designinS is based on understandlng .,,,.1 .r
csrib ishlns systems o{ ordenYet I be leve that lhe essential sub-
incc of rhe architectlre we
seel< proceeds
from feeling and insight.
l\,r
i(nrr momenrs of intuition resuk from patient work.With the sud
'l,r
cmcrgcnce ofan inner image,a new lne in a dmwlng, the whole y fo.mulated within n fract on of a second.
lt
'i,-.,ltr chirnges and is new ,., f i powe{u drug were sudden y r.k ng effecr. Everyth ng I knew
'
1,,l,
,
),. lhotlt the thing I am creating is f ooded
rt{, iui.c
I', , w
by a brigh! new lighr.
I
ioy and passiof,:r)d sonrcdring.leep ins de me seems to af-
ir to briikl rhls horrcl'
( ,,'rposing i'r
spncc
,,,,,,,(ry \rlxrI rlr( jw,,,n rj,., t)l,,rj,. ,rlrt,\ r,,l rlrrtrrl
rrcrr
sional bodies in space. Geometry can help us understand how
to
han-
-ecrLre. rhere are lwo basic poss brlitie\ oI \pdfirl ( onpo\ll ro1:
the closed archlrectural body that isolates space within itsell:nd the open bodythat embrales.!l 1T1 olsfage
,eldless
architecru€l probiems for
which a val d solut on has not already been found.
dle space in architecurre.
lrur.h
a ize that lhere are basicaly on y a very few
1!!t r: connected v/ith the
contin!!m.The extension of space can be made visible through
bodies such as slabs or poles placed freely or in rows ln the spatial ex-
n retrospec!, my educarion in desirn seems somewhat a-historical. roLe models were
our
the pioneers and inventors of Das Neue Bauen.We
regarded architecrural history as part of our genera education, which had little lnfluence on our work as designers.Thus, we frequenty ln'
vented what had a ready been invented, and we tried our hand at in-
venting.he uninventable. I do not claim
to know what space really is.The longer I think nbout it,
the nrore mysterious it becomes.About one thing, holvever,I am sure: when we, as architecB, are concerned with space, we with but
a
"re
concerned
tlny paft ofthe infinity that surrounds the earth, and yet each
sl
howeyer,as practicing architects,we do
first plans and sections
of my design.I dmw spatia diagrams and simple volumes.I try to vlsualize them as precise bodies in space, and I feel it is irnportant
to sense
exactly how they define and separate an area of interior space from rhe space thar surrounds them, or how they contain a part of the infi-
cnormous repository of knowledge and experience contained in the history of archicecture. I believe that if we integrate this in our wor<,
Architecture
Bu ldings that haye a st.ong impact always convey an intense fee ing
of
rheir spatlaL quality.They embrace the mysterious void ca led space in
a
ess
sci\rch for the architecture that I envisage,lfrequenty experience sti-
f fg
moments of emptiness. NothinS can thlnl( of seems to ta ly lvith
whir I wnnt and cannot yet env sage.At lhese moments,l try to
shake
li,rs slddenly shrted
,(,rc freely.l carch
a
to hold me bac(.This helps.l find I
can breathe
whiff of the old fxmiiar mood of the nventors and
act in which
i
wod< of irchitccrurc conres nto belnggoes
l), yorrd aL hisrorical and tcchnicirl knowcdAe. ks focLrs is on rhe dia
Common sense
lwis stillrt.rtsnnd cr.fts school.we lried
to fo low this plinc ple We Lookcd for lem Wc
or
logicaly and di.ectly from architectural history to new buildings.On rhe
llr, ( rcitive
lnvenrng.Whcn
not a linear process that leads more
''' ', ' D-renl-' orce r8.,,r be(o.,e irv.r ro'
special way and make i! vibrate.
s
ls, however,
,,ff rlre academic l
nite spatial continuum in a kind of open vessel.
Designing
wellto get acquainted with lhe
wc have a better chance of making a genuine contribution of our own.
and every buid ng marks a lnique place in that infinity.
With this idea in mind,I start by
Thls l(lnd oftraining in design ls not without its educational value. Latei
fclr r wis irnpo|tirir (o
bc
i
rvlir
fcw sollLiof io cvcry prob lt,r .lc N()l urul
htcr.li.l I rc-
,
'llL
(, w rl, rhc i5srcs of
, , r,rc , r,n r
s
oor rnr.. At tllc rronrcnt ot its crc.tiof, archi
boonclro ihc prcscrir in.i iv, nr(n
vi,,y\tn{i., wiylr i(!fc.tsrhcspi
.!rl ttv,\,r\,)w,,,r,w,,, r,' rlr'
(t1
t,\r (, tr of oLrr tirrrc
,,
throlgh its funcciona form
ifd
ation$ p with orher
appearance, ics re
works of aichitecture, and w rh the
p ace where ir stands.
rll
r
The answers to these quest ofs, which I can forn!la.e as an arch tect,
are imired. Our r mes of change and rransidon do no! permic b g ges,
ory x few
tLres.Trere are
remain ng common va les left upon whlch
w€ can build and which we all share.lchus appea
forakndof?rchi-
rccturc of common sense based on the fundam6nrals rhat wa still
wor d.and
fee.
carefully observe the concrete appearance ofthe
n my buidings
ltry to
enhance what seems to be va Lrable,ro
correct what is d sturbing, and to create anew whar we feel is nrjssing.
Melancholy perceptions Eftore Scolas
f
m Lc Bo/ recounts f fty years of European h story wlth
no dialogue and a comp ete unity of place. h consists so ely of music and the rnorion of peop e nroving and danclng.We r-ernain in the same
room with rhe same people throughout, wh le time goes by afd rhe dancers grow older.
The focus of the film is
on rs
main characrers. Bu!
with lts tlled floor and its pareling. the stal s
lf
ir s lhe bal room
the brcl
rhe lions paw at rhe side thar creiles dre film\ defse, powertul atmosphere.
Or
is lt th€ orher way
aroufd? s r rhe peoplc who endow the
room with its par! cular moodl I as< this question becalse I am convinced be capable ofabsorblrg rhe
Natur.lly, nL
rr
r rs
corilctt
rrorblr rrrr.Ll
|
1 r
thir
i
good building mLst
rr.ccrolhuni.rf fc irn(l tliusofr.kfgo| rik,,l rli.,.rrih r,,l.rrI. 1.,,
,.
,,1 v.L
()
r
' li ,.,,
rrrrcr r 1.1
s.of
tr
r
. ,t,,)w,i , L
';r
l
, ' | f,, ..
and brirtle, and of edges Polished by use. But
when
When we look ar the finished building,our eyes,guided by our anayti-
close my eyes and
try to forget both these physical traces and my own first associatlons,
cal mlnd, tend
what remalns ls a different imPression, a deePer feelng-a conscious-
rhes s
ness of tlme passin€ and an awareness
ofthe human lives that
to stray and lool( for deta ls to hold on to. But the syn-
ofthewhole does not become comprehenslble through isolated
dctais. Everythlng refers to everything.
have been
Ar chis momen!, the initial images fade into the background.The mod
acted our in these places and rooms and charged them with a sPec al mornents, a.chitecture\ aesthetic and Practical values
els.words,and comparisons thatwere necessaryforthe creation of the
sty istic and historical slgnificance a.e of secondary imPortance Whar
w ro e disnppear ll(e steps that have been left behlnd.The new bullding
matters now is only this feeling of deeP melancholy.Architecture ls ex
rssumes che foca position and is
aura.
A. these
itsell ts history
begins.
posed to life. lf lts body ls sensitive enough, it can asslrme a quality that be?rs wltness to the reality of Past ife. I l)clicve that architecture today needs
il)il
Steps left behind
When I work on a
des
gn I allow myself co be guided by images a'rd
moods that I remember and can relate to the kind of arch .ectLrre I am
_looking
r es which are inherent y its own.Archirecture is not a vehic e or a
.,yrrbolfor rhings that do not be ong to its essence.ln
, ' Ics $e
subiective experience and are only rarely accompanied by a reme'n-
1,,
bered architectural commentary While I am designing I r.v to find out
.,y|, lvoy ..
lvhat these images mean so that I can learn how to cre:re a wealth of r'
After a certain time, the object I am designing takes on some of the qua ities of
the
mages I use as models lf I can find a meaningful way of
nterlocl
a
depth and richness. f lam to achieve this effecqrhe qralilies I am gving
the design must merge :rnd blcrrd w rh rhc const|ucr onal and forinal structure of drc fin shcd bui d rrg. For m and {( f ctiorr
irr
no lorrltq
i r.l
!cprrrtc llx'y
consn ucl
bclorlll
on iPpcarance
l()ll.rh.r irrdfornrr
inessentia,archltecture can
,.wiste offo.ms and meanings,and
fon Most of the images that come to mlnd orl8inate from my
visual forms and atmospheres.
to reflect on the tasks and pos-
'
|l, vc
!,
p!!
a
soc ety thar ce -
up a resistan ce,
spea< its
own
co!nteract
anguage.
$:rt the language of arch lecture is no!a question of
a specific
building ls buir for a spccific usc in a speclfic place and for
L( socicl/. My bllldinSs cry to answer the questions thrt emerge
r,i r1irs. s rnple fac$
as precisely and critl.ally as .hey can.
The Hard Core of Beauty
Two weeks ago I hrppened ro heai
r
rad
o Program or) the Amer
r,.erW lirrn CarlosW lianrs.Tfe Progranr .l Belruty.Th s phrasc caughr nry atrefrlof.I
, rid
core. afd
when
can
was entited Thc Hdrd Cor€ ike rhe ider that be:tuty has
rh nk of arch .ecrlrre this associatlon of beru
ryrrrdr h:r-dcorehasacerta rfamilarty. Thenrachie sathlrrSrr:rr li r\
.o
srLp€!f
!o!s pxr$. Will
ams s suPPosed to have
sn d.
And
,r .llrrcly rhin ( I know what he meant lr's a tholtht rhai Peret Hr
,
L,,l(,\ ,.Li
ro.lfeel,whcn re srys rhat bcauty ies
I
I
n
rd (e
nirLra,grown rhirgs
.lo not c:r.ly irny sigfs or nessages. and whcn he adds thar hc
s
, , r w ,c. he ca.nor d scover the nrean irg of things for h nsc f.
I
t*.
1r
A !rl,.n I ei fcd f-om rhe irdio prosram $3t $€ poetry ofwi am I lrWil ams s biscd on lhe.onvicton tlrit lrere n_e no dcas exr rc rh ngs rhemse vcs ifd thir llre PUiPose of hls nrt was to ,, li,i 1.,,1oiy peic.ption r{) 1 re wo! d of fii r8s in order to mal(e ,L/Vt'j\! wo.t.sid rlrcspcrkc:rlris rik.s prcc seenrngyufemo ,,1/ i,,l r(1)icilly..r,i(l ir jprcci!cl/io rlrlq .ir.n rhii hl( reYrs !r,,,ilt f,ri.r ,rrri
..$"
h -t,t,r
t'
1
i I , ',l.,t,ti,.i ,l r(,
'{, "f
,,i1, ,(
", ,,,
,1r1,,.r, L,).,ir.,rorswthbui.l-
,,,,r!,i r,,, r,, ,|.tol,r Ard to ,,i L, l]rrrt|liivl' ,r1,1.,' r, r,.1,1,., ',y
",,'l',,.Lrrlir | ! i,
(,l.liL,r ,) ,1,'w,
rrlf Lr,)ilr
iLL l,L',| i l, , ,'
,,/r', I
I
l
l
no need for art stic additions.The hard core ol beauty: concenrrated
What inrerests me in this story reporred by Calvino
is
notthe exhorta-
tion to precision and patient, detai ed wor< with which we are allfamllBut where are archltecture's fields of force that constitute lts substance
ar bur the lmplication that richness and multiplicity emanate from the we observe them aftentivelyand give them thelr due.
above and beyond all superficiality and arbitrariness?
th ings th emselves if
Ita o Calvlro te ls us in his lezionj omericdne about the ltalian poer Gi
App led !o architecrure, this means for me lhat power and multiplicity
acomo Leopardi who saw the beauty of a work of art, in hls case the
musr be developed from the assisned task or in other wol.ds,from the
beauty
of
( rJ\e rl-r\
iterature,
in $
vagueness, oPenness. and indeterminacy, be_
e.rves tl-e form oPen
John Cage said in one of h s lectures rhat he is not a composer who
lor mar/d{erer rrer'rrSs
Leopardls observation seems convinc ng enoush Works or objects of art thar move
us are mu
th ngs lhat constitute it.
tifaceted;they have numerous and PerhaPs end-
less layers of meaning that overlap and interweave, and that chanSe as
hcars music in h s mind and then attempts to write it down. He has an
olher way o{operating.He works out conceprs and structures and then rrs rhem performed !o find ou. how they sound.
we change our angle of observation.
when I read this slatement I remembered how we recently deve oped
But how is the architect to obtain this dePth and multiPllcity in a bulld-
rprolcctfor a therma bath
ine of his making? Can vasueness and openness be planned? ls there
,,,11
not a contradiction here to the claim of accuracy thatWilllams's argu-
.L,l.,prifg them
ment seems to imPly?
1
Calvino {inds a surprising answer to this in a text by LeoPardi Calvino
t
own texts,this lover of the indeterminate
reveals a palnstal(ing fidelity
to the things he describes and offers to
points out that in Leopard
our
co nte mplatio n, and
prelminary images of the building in our minds and subsequently
to the
,,osrions ar sing from
v ..L,il content in
basic
glven slte, rhe purpose, and
wrsonlyafccrwe had succeeded inanswering,stepbystep,theques-
r ,
{i!
poscd by che site, purpose, and material that structures and spac-
,!
,
terminate and vaguel He calls for highly rccurate and Pedantic atten-
r.Ll ,,1
rlon ln the composition of each Picture, in the meticulous definlt on of
,,' ,ii ,)l \tylsticilly
details, in the cho ce of obiects, liShting, rnd atmosphere wirh the aim
,
$e poct
the ocation ofthe
to answer
terms of exisr ng architecture.
Leopardi demands of us so that we can enjoy the beauty of the inde-
paradoxical proclam.tion: The Pocr of tlrc v,tstrc crn orrly be
assignrnenq but by endeavorinS
ili(, blllding materials mountain, rock, warer whlch at first had no
hecomes to the conclusion:"This,rhen is what
of attaining the desired vaguenessl Ca vino closes wlrh rhc seemingly
in the mountalns in mystudio,not byform-
. ,,
,, , ,
Bcd which surprised us .nd wh ch I believe possess the Poten-
r
prirnord
ir force rhir
ieaches dccper than the mere arrange-
prcconcc vcd fonfs.
t,yifu orcscll wid, rhc inhcrcnt liws of corcrcte rhings such
,, ,r.rr\,r.,.k.ir.lwitcr f
as
conrr{ r,,ni wirl, r lnrikling issi8fmcrt of
1,...1 ,1r.!ricofrpprclicrxl,,,ll.,,i{l (,\t)r(\rrrri!(tricofllicpr'rril ind
. rw, , rLrtLrr.rlyrlrrtru,r",rtll,rr,.,,l r1,,.,, r'rrrlt
,. r
tl
,n tlc
veloping an a.ch tecture lhat sets out from and rerurns Preconcelved images and stylistcaly Pre-fnbricated qualified only to block access
to.his
of nature or in the natural envlronment. Consequently,l find
to real things
forma idioms
that
can
unde.stand Hand(e,who in the same interview refers to himself as
are
writer about
goal.
a
of his texts that there should
p aces, when he requir€s
My SwLss colLeagues Herzog and de Melron say that arch tectur€ as a
be no additlves in lhem, but a cogn zance of detaiLs and of thelr inter-
sing e whole no longer ex sls todry,and tha! it accotuingly has to be ar-
lin(ing to form a factual complexl'
rficia y $eared in the head of.he desigr€i
as an act
The word Handke uses to designate what I have here ca ed a factu
of precise .h nk-
to
to be meanlngful with re-
ing.The rwo archllects derive f.om th s assumPtlon their rheory of ar-
al comp ex, name y Sdchverho/t, seems
chirectLrre as a form of thought, an architectLrre thac l suPPose. should
gard
reflect lls cerebrally conceived wholeness in a sPecial way
renls must be brcught together, bu ldlngs must be thought of as com-
I do
not ntend to
to the aim of whole and unadukernted things:exact factua con identfied and Put lnro
p exes whose details have been rlghtly
pursue these architecrs'theory of archltecture as a
me
i
factual
form of though., but only the assumPtion on whlch lt is based, namely
relirlonship ro each otherA factua relationshipl
that the wholeness of a bujlding ln the old sense of the master build-
Thc point that emerges here is the reduction of the conter.s to real
ers no longer exists.
things. Handl(e aLso speaks, in this contexr, offideLlty to things. He would
Personally,I stlll believe in the self sufficient. corporeaL wholeness of an
li(c his descriptions, he
architecturaL object as the essential. if diffcult,alm of my wod(, if not as
l ice chey des.ribe
says,
to be experlenced
as failhfu ncss
to the
and not as s!Pp ementary colorlng.
SriLcments of dr s kifd he p me to come to terms w th rhe dissatisfac-
a natural or Siven facl. Yet how are we to ach eve this wholeness ln arch tecture at atime when
ror
the d vine,which once gave .h ngs a meanlng,and even reality iiself seem
,lLcntly come across buildings.hat have been desgned with a good
to
be dissoving in the endless fLrx
oftransitory sgns and
,lo,r of effort and a wil ro find a special forrn, and I find L anr Put otf by
imaSes?
il,. n Thc .rchirect respofs
Peter Handke wrtes of his endeavors to make rexts and descriPtions
part of the envlronment they re ate to. lf I lnderstand him correctly,
I
ficulty ofeliminating artificiality in things created in an arcifcial acl and of maklng them part of lhe wor d of ord nary :rfd naruraL rhi'rgs, bur al
I belicvc
thit
rlrlr
es in rh€ drlr)Bs drcnrsc vcs
if rrtisl c piocesscs st iv.
foi wl(,lqi.rss. rhcy r wiys rt
tcnrplloltvclli(.r.irr.rr1rPr(\(:rx(,rkrr rr,rlrir
{.,11vlrrr rlic rliirrSs
ble for the blrllding ls not Present, but he
L.,l(\ to rre un.easLnsly from eve.y detail, he keePs on saying the same
rjt.ifd I qric(ly ose nrcrcsl.Good irchire.ture should recelvethe
am confronted here no!on y bythe aL-roo-fam iarawarenessofrhedlf-
so by lhe be ef drac
otlen experence when lcontemPate recent architecture.l fre
'1,
rnf viliror
.. r,Lr (l nor
shou d
cofstifr
ciible hinr ro cxPc icrrce it ind live in it, bul it
y ti\ k
ir
r
fr.
rr (rr o I so IircLy t icdl Wlit (l() wr lrivc !) |ll(l(,,,ril!l,1i,,, rli1 l).,r ( r r rru! Jrc r l..nrrc i5 ,.,,(.ll,,ir rr,,rI(,|.rI.Irri,LIi ,!' .r , ! ) . l ' , , ' , l' 11 [rt r'.
Wy, oftdi
wondc r s lhc ()l)v ()Lr l)rlr .lll1.
1
,
L,
r
I
, ,
'
r
'
. ,
, i
earch
ind
si
and confidence n spaces thar arc realy a owed
spaccs sPices whose encios n8 wal s and const luenr materia
to s,
be
con
cavity, emptiness, ight. air, odor. receP!vity, and resonance are hand ed
w!$
respect and carei
I persona
y
ke the idea of designing and bu d ng houses from wh ch
I
crn w rhdraw at the end of rhe forming proccss, eaving behind a bui d-
iftrh.rls lsef,draise-vcsasaplacetolive
n and a parr of the wor d
of rlr fgs, afd rhat caf manage perfeccly well without nry personal rhe'
To nre, buidngs can have a beaurfu silence
rhat
associate
wth
at-
rrlb!rcs such as compos!re, self cvidence, durabiLty. presence, and in tegriry,and
w$
warmth and sens!ousness
as
we lia buid ngthat ls be-
ing lrse f, being a bui d ng, not representing any.hin8, i!sc being.
Say that
it is a c.!de effect, b ack reds.
Pinl( ye lows. orange whites,
too much
as they are
To be anything e se in the sun ight of the room.
Too mlch as they
ire !o
be changed by me.aphor,
Too actua, things tha. in being rea l4al
them esser ihlngs.
This ls the begnning of che poem 8olguer ofRoses in Sunlight by rhe American poe! of qiJlet contctrrp ation.Wa ace Scevens Wa Iace Stcvens, I re:rd in the inffodu.r on ro his col ectiof of Poems, acccpted the chi lenge of look
ft
lofg,
prti.
rt y..i,ra
.xr.r y rnd of d s
rfd rf.lo jti i.l,,t r r ,11 H r 1r,r|,r .,r,r rio( r ProLcsr or ir .o|it) rrir rrt,,i.r r !rr l.,w.,,ri r,,Il .rr1' .'r, rli,y rlr, (!l,r(,\.r0I cove_ing
any
sor.ofconsternation,butthey see< a harmonywhich is possible all
thesameandwhic inhlscase-canonlybethatofthepoem.(Calvno goes L
a
cerary wod< when he says tha! he has only one defense against.he oss he sees allaround himian idea
of
places
afd rhrough places
co
The conceptofdwe ifg,understood n Heideggerk wide sense
ving
and !h nl(ing n p aces and spaces, contains an exact reference to what rea ity means
icerarure.)
of
to me
as an architecr.
Reality was rhe goal to which Stevens :spired.S!rrealism,ir appears.did
It ls not lhe rea lty of theories detached from things, i. is .he iea lry of
not rnpress him,for itinvents without discovering.He pointed outthat
the concrere buidlng assignmenr relar ng to che acr or slate of dwell-
to porcray
ng that incerests me nnd Lrpon which I wish
a shell playing an
it crops up once
Wi
accordlof
is
to invent, nor discover.And so
again, rhis fundamental thought
that I seem to find
in
iams and Hand
Hopper:it
s only between the
realty ofthlngs and the imtrginarion tha!
the spark ofthe worl< ofnrt is knd ed.
terms,ltel
myself thar
the spar( ofthe sLrccessf! building can ony be knd ed between the rea ity of the th ngs pertainlng
to i. and the imaginarion.And this is no
revelatlof to me, but the confirmacion ofsomethinS
for in my work, and the confirnration of
I
continLra y strive
a wish whose roors seem to
be deep ifside me. But to return to the qlestion on€ finaltime:where do lfind lhe reality on which I must concentrate nry powers of lmagin:ition when artemp!lng
to deslgn a buiding for a particular
p ace and purpose?
One key to che answer lies, I believe, in che words pla.e and "purPose" themse ves.
ln an essay encded Buildng Dwellfg Thifkingl
wrote;
Living
imofg drings
narive facuhies.
lt
s the
rei ity of
is the birs c
l.. tif
Hedegger
p inc ple of hunraI cxistcncel'
rhit but ilwrys ii iw,!l.l (,fr[!rt]!.v( r wlrli
iri rn rbst rcr world
wh ch I llndersl:l,if ro rircirr
w,,
rr )(.nn,l.or.ii rjtirl
to concenrrate my magi-
bui ding mater a s. stone. cloth, stce
,
eather...,and th€ reaity ofthe strucrures luse to consrrLct dre building whose propert es I wish
nrcaning and sensuousness
lf I translare this statement nto archtectural
I
to
spaces is based on his dwe ling ln !hem."
step further a ong thls line ofrhought ln an artemp! to define his
ofform that
Heidegger: 'The re ationsh p of maf
to penetrate with my imaglfation. bringing
to bear so rhar che spark of lhe s!ccessfu
bui d ng may be andled, a bui difg that can serve as a home
The .eeliry ofa.ch lectur-e is lhe concrete body
rfd
n
for man.
which forms,volumes,
spnces come ln.o belng.There arc no ldeas except in things.
From a Passion forThings to the Things Themselves
It is important to me to reflect about architecture, to step back from my daily work and take a
lookatwhat lam doing and why Iam doing it.
I love doingthis,and I thinl< I need
tecturefrom
a
it,too.I do not work towards archi-
theoretically defined point ofdeparture.for lam commit-
t€d to makinS architecture,to building,to an ideal of perfection,just as ln my boyhood I used to make things according to my ideas,things that had to be just right,
for reasons which I do not really understand.lt was
always there,this deeply personaJfeeling
forthe things I made for myself,
and I never thought of h as being anythinS special.lt was iust rhere.
Today,lam aware that my work
as an
architect is largely
a
questforthis
onrly passion,this obsession,and an attempt to understand it berter and
to r€flne it.And when I reflecton whether lhave since added new imag.3 and passions to the old ones,and whether I hav€ learned something ln my training and practice,l realize that in some way I seem always ro havG
l(nown th€ rntuitive core of new discoveries.
Plnc6s I llvo and
work in Graub0nden, in a farminSvillage surrounded by moun-
tnlni. I sometimes wonder whether this has influenced my work, and tlrc thoutht that it probably has is nor unpleasanr.
Wo0ld the buildints I design look dlfferenr if, instead of Iiving in Grnubunden,l had spent rhe past rwonryjlvo ysars ln rhe landscape of Iny /outh on th€ north€rn foothllls of tho Jura mountalns, wlrh rhelr
39
rol
ng h lls and beech woods and the familiar, reassuring vicinity of the
urbane city of Baseli
As soon as I begln to think about this question, I reaiize that my lvork has been influenced by many places.
When I concenlrate on a spec fic site or p ace for which am Solng to design a building, when
I
try ro plumb lts depths, its form, its hlstory,and
its sensuous qualities, images of other p aces slart to invade this Proc_ css of precise observation:images of p aces that I know and that once
frpressed me, lrnages of ordinary or
sPec
al Places tha. I carry with
,,,c irs nner vislons of sPeclfic moods and q!aLltiesi images of rrchitec
rurrl siruations. whlch emanate {rom the world of art, of films, the.ter.
to me
sometimes they corne
unbidden, these mages
of places that
,rc frcquent y at firs! glance inapProPriate or alien, images of Places of
,,rlly
origlns.At other ! mes I summon them.I need them, for
only when I confront and comPare the essentials of different
11 s (,,..
d fferent
whcn I a low sinrilar, re ated, or maybe alien
r)ilir
of
e ements
P
ac-
to cast their
rhc pl.ce of my intervef. on that the focused, mukifaceted im-
.i|t, of rhe local esscfce of the site emergcs, a vision tha! reveals con-
!,
rnns, cxposes
rl,, l
,
rilc,
.
lfes offorce,and
errive groufd :rppears, and the nerwor( of posslble ap-
ro.hc
specific plrcc cmcrgcs afd trgge|s
1,,,
),( lics
,,
, ,.!,nr of dc' gn So
L
creates excitement.lt is now that
I inrnrcr sc nryrclt
,i ,,/ rrrg ritior. ind
if
$e
processes and
rhc plice and rry to inhib r
irl ([c sr r)c rirr(r I k](t( l).yon.l ir
ir
rhe world
r(f! Wli,,,l{(),,r1, i.b\s i l)Lr , rr| r,.,r lji.,,v,l,t),,1 ., !tx'( rl ,rcsclrcc ,,,!r,,i," It(I II,I1 rr!l,ri ,,,,,,rtr,ri w,rli rr't,1.,,, 1.r.,'j '1 ,'y t)rlicr p
bued with an inner tension that refers
to something over and above
other. And when we recalled b!ildings that had the characteristics we were lookingforand pinpointed the r spec alqualties,we became aware
It seems to be parl of the essence of lts place, and at the same tinre k
that there are buildings that we ove.And whereas we knew almost at
speal(s of the world as a whole.
ofce which ones belonged to the spec
When an architectural design draws solely from tradition and only re'
rerested, we found it diffcult to find a common denomlnator
peats the dlctates of its site,I sense a lack of a genuine concern with
qua i!ies. Our artempt to generalize seemed
the world and the emanations of contemporary life. lf
a
al cateSory in which we were in-
fo. their
to rob the individual build-
ngs of thelr sp endor.
work of archi-
recture speaks only of contemporary trends and sophisticated visions
But che subjecc continued to prey on my mind,and I resolved to try and
without triggering vibrations in its place, this worl( is not anchored in
write some briefdescriptions oftrrchitectural situations that I love,fraS-
]ls site, and I miss the specific gravlty of the ground it stands on.
mencary approaches based on peroonal experiences tha. have a con
rccrion with my work,and in so doing to move within the same mencal
Observations
I
fr:rmeworl( in which I think when I am concerned with generating the
We were standlngaround the drawingtab etalkingabout
a
project by
csenr als of
a
work of my own.
an architect whom we all hold in high regard. I considered the proiect
and added that some time previously I had laid aslde my positive prej!-
2 The main rooms of the sma I mountain hotel overlooked the va ley (ri dre broad slde of the lonS bullding. lt had two adjacent wood-pan-
dice, which sprang from my high estimation of the architect, and taken
(,
an unbiased look at the project.And I had come to the conclus on that,
r
lic corridor and connected by
whole,l did not rea ly like it.We discussed the possible reasons for
,
(,rrforrable p ace in which to sit and read, and the larger one, with five
interesting in many ways. I mentioned severaL of its specific qualities
as a
my impression and came up wlth
a
few details wthout arriving at
a
val-
ld conclusion. And then one of rhe younger members of the group,
a
cd reception rooms on the sround floor, both ofthem accessible from
w.l l
lir
p accd tablcs,was
f,,
a
doorThe smaller of them looked like
clearythe place
a
in which meak were served.On
rr-lloor chere were bedrooms wich deep,shady wooden balconies,
talented and usually rationa ly minded arch tect, said:"lt is an lnterest-
,ri
ing building for n I sorts of theoretical and pracrical reasons.The rrou-
I wi,Lr
ble is,it has no soull'
.L wr ipproached rhe horcl for drc first irnrc But ihc .houSht of sray'
Some weeks later. I was
s
tting oucdoors dr fking cotfee wich my wfe
and discussing thc issuc of bu ldings w th
eral works
i
soul.Wc ril
ofr(luc(r,rc rlnr wc kncw.r,r{l
rlcsrrrl,crl rhcrrr ro crch
rhc sccond floor mo|e bcdrooms open ng onto terraces. (l cnioy lookin8 irt rhc open sky ffom the upper rooms,l lholght,
, 1i r r o rc of the fir st I oor
rt
knnri\.,,,(i, (,](lirlt or wr I fg n the intimare
rbrln,rrt ol t[c rl'rly lrrkorry
rrr
tl,r, l,rtr, rftrrnn,n rr
rrn
sccnrcd
a. the foot of the staircase eadlng
the way I :m feeling, when I conjure up mental P ctures of works of ar-
from the upperfloorstothe entrance.A servinghatch ln the earyafter-
chltecture thar Sive me space to live and seem ro antlciPate and satis{y
noons it held frtritflans on white p ates for the guests.The smellofthe
my needs, th s mounlain hote always comes
{resh flans tool< us by surprise as we came down the stairs,and kitchen
by a painter
There was an openins in the
noi\es 5 r Fd I om tl e
hd
wn
designed
for himself and his guests.
I ope'r door of the oDDosrre roon-
After a day or two we knew
olr
way around.There were deck chairs
stacl(ed along .he side of che hoteL, wh ch adioins the meadow cle way away, in
to mnd.ltwas
A lit
the haf shadow at the edge of the wood, we noticed
a
3
OLrr
first impression ofthe ou!side ofthe restaurant made
tharwe had foLrnd someth
ng
betterthan
che
other places
a
us hoPeful
ong the maln
road of.he tourisr village.We were nor dlsapPointed Enterlng thFough
b!iltfrom the nsidebe
woman sitting ln a decl( chalr, readlng.We Picl(ed up rwo of the chairs
dre narrow porch,which,as itturned out,was
and looked for a spot ol our own. During the day we usually dmnk o'rr
h
coffee at one of the wooden folding tables on the narrow veranda ar
lri8h-ceilinged, hall-Lil(e room, its walls and celling lifed wlth dirk, mat.
the front.They were hinged at .eSular intervals along the front ParaPer.
ltle.nr ng wood:regularly placed frames and pane
Good
p aces
to slr,these small tables clinging to the edge of.he vernn-
daithe sill was iust the rght height for use
as an elbow rest.
Conversarions with the other guests !sually took Place nl dusk at the
other veranda tab
es, placed in a
row against lhe facade and Protected
fd the main door
like a wooden shed, we found ourselves in ;r l:rrge.
s,
waifscoting, conrlc
.s, fdented jois$ resting on brackets with ornamental scro
ls
Ilie .tmosphere of the room seemed dar<, even Sloomy, un!ll our l',l
eyes
cw accus.omed to the light.The gloom soon Save way to a mood of
lt,,ftleness.The daylight enlering through lhe
ralL,
rhythmicaly plac€d
lrom rhe weather by rhe projecting upper foors.The Frcnch window
wrndows lit up cerca n sections of the room, while other Parts, which
to the veranda was opened after rhe evening mer iwe al slretched olrr
,l{l not benefr from the retlecllon
legs
and oo
a
drjnl( by the wal
rhatwas sti lwarm from the days sunshine.Once,after lhe evening rneal, we were invited to sit at lhe large corner table at the far end ofthe ve
w
of
the
A! soon:rs lefre_ed the room my eye was caught by an extension ln
,r ccnrcr of the long outer wnll.:r semi-circular
r,,
used by the regulars ofthe house. never sar nthisniche,whichcaughr
lli(, foor of rhc room-height fichc wirs of
$c vcrafd.. On
rhere was usu.lly somcone ilreidy
rtinS $ere.
s
sunny mo.nings
rcidifg
When I rh fk rb(,ut buid rgs drit prov dc nrc witli riit,,ml sPrtiil con
drorisrr)t)n)t)rrr.rorli{ |
,(
(. r()
rll (]rly,(nr tr.,,,yr.rrvtcs.rri.
lay
drrwn in half-shadow
randa near the enlrance. D!ring the day, that sPot always seemed to be
the morning sun ar rhe other end oI
sht from the paneling,
bulSe
lirge enough
rcc.,r modire fivc tabes rong the curved wall by.he windows.
rl! ,i,\r
of rh. hill. No douht rbo'rt
i
slightly h gher evel than
l rl,(nshr.$swrswherel
st.lwo ()l rlr. rrln,! wr, \r,ll I cc.Trc PcoPc slrtnt ri,,,i..krLrl)1 {,\\ () rIri,ry rt! 1 ,'1 rri li riL,,.,,i1.L.,,I IprvilclcdrI w.L,ir(tl ro
We hesitated and finally decided on a rable in the almost empty nrair
ered by concrete slabs on steel columns, and the regular arrangement
part of the hal.Yet we hesitated
of the paths and pavilions v/hich appeared to accommodate the class-
went in search of service.Afler
of sitting down we
again, and lnstead
a while a girl appeared through a
door
rooms v/as periodicaily interrupted by buildings with tr specialfunction
n the pane ing of the inner wal and led us to a table in the niche.We
atwhich we could onlyguess.llwas duringthe schoolhoLidays and the
sat down.The s ight feeling
,b.,-ed.we lrr our
f
',,
of
rr tat on occasion ed by
( Bd,e,re\
rro o,oe,ed
ou
r arrival soon
son-e w re.
complex y/as deserted.The windows were set high up in the wals and
it was hard to see into the
c assrooms.We came across a large meta
Ar the nexr tab e rwo women were ho ding an animated conversation.
door to a side courtyard, which seemed to belong to one of the c ass-
One of them was speal
rooms. lt was
German. Neither
to catch a glimpse of
a
of lhem spol(e a word in the other's language.The voices of the peo-
room with desks and a blackboard. lt was plainly furnished.The wa
ls
p e in the group ar the nexr tab e but one sounded pleasantly far away.
and rhe floor showed signs of intensive use, and the daylight encering
I looked around and gradually absorbed the mood.l felt at ease sining
through the hiSh windows lenr the room an atmosphere that was both
in the light of one of the windows, which now seemed taller chan ev-
concentrared and genrle.
ss
s
ightly open, and we man:ged
and lool(ing into the dar
Prorection from the sun,shelter from the wlnd and rain,an inrelllgent ap'
busy with their conversrtions and their meas, also seemed happy ro
proach to the issue of lighting,I thoLrght,and I was aware that I had by no
be sitting therei they behayed naturally, undist!rbed by other peop es
meansSrasped allthe specific qualities
presence,with an unconstralned considerate ness fo r .heir fe owSuests,
forward simplicity ofl!s sr.ucture,fol. example,which was reminlscent of
which lent them an air ofdignity. Occupied as lwas with my own activ-
rndustrial precast concrere co nstructlon
ities, my gaze nevertheless a lghted occasionaly on other faces,and I re-
of rhe pedantic refnements rhat abound ln schools in Switzerland.
er,
a ized
that I lil
we all lool(ed our best.
l4y
vkit
with the
ofth s architecture-the srraighr
s,
or its spac;ousness,or its lack
had b€en worthwhile. Once aga n,I resolved
to begin my work
s mple, praccical rh ngs, ro make these ihlngs big and Sood and
l)ciurifu, Lo make thcm the star.in8 point of the specific fom, like a
4
Driving a ong a road on .he coast of Ca fornin,we finally arrved at
rirster bu der who underslands
his metierl
lhe school that was listed in the architectural guide: a spraw ing complex of pavi ions spread out over
a
a.ge expifse of fl:rc rnd high over
lhe Pacifc. Barely iny crees, k.rsLic rock rlrrusr ng drrough $e rul{, r fewhouscs in thc inrnrcd rtc vic Iity.Thc rows ings widr
flir. t,,(,l.,rint
roo15
olrill,s
wcrc corn.(rr.l l)y
rSle srory bu ld
i\|l,rlr
prths cov-
5 Ar thc
itc
r,(slrp
irs
of ci8lrrccn,wli.,,
I
wis ipprcrclrlfg rhc efd of my appren
i.ibincurri
picccs of fur-
rirrrcThcrrislcr(,rl)o{,r,ri.rk|, ,), {lit,(l(,i1 1l(,r( ,,ii,trrl rlrcformof r,\1 ,)l r1tr 1,,,,,r1,,,,,,,.r1(,,r,'1,,
.1,,
t' , !ll
., ,li)i'
l(,1 rr
,li,l for
:fl
,'..
i
cvcn
l
the wood we used for rhe besr p ecesrwirlnuc. I chose lighr-
di
coored ash for my bed and clpboard,and I made drem so that they
I
looked good on allsides,with tre sxme wood ard rhe same carefulworl(
bicl( and front.I disregarded the us!al pra.tice of expending ess rlme and care on rhe bac< becaLse no o1e ever sees it afyway
n Ffl
ffi
was able
to round off the
edges only s ghdy withouc be ng con ecled,
running the sandpaper swiftly and liShtly
ovo thc cdgcs to sofrcf thc
FI
sharpncss without los ng the elegafce ind fifeness of r
&1
rouched the corners where three edges meer
fr
clpboard into thc franre rt the front w.h
h;
Lratitclosed almosthermellcally,wi$
s
r
H
I fe
t
BT
,l:
bir.,l/
noc,r ol r r.
.8ood worl(ing on this cupboard. l.irk ng rhc pro. lrly f rrir)t
ro my
iffer vislof,tiigSe
a
who
e, a
t() ril
l
conrp erc oblc.r drit cor rcspofd.d
cd in nre a state
' fr .,€dpe(eof t'. '(r-
H
lfrrcd th.
ncs I
barely audib e sound of escaping aiL
rnd exacc shapes to form
H
ic
. nnxinr,rr ol 1,, r,t rhrr r| r gentlc fr ctlorii .s \r.i n,,ri,l
F,t
ff
At long lxst
rdd-d
I
ot rrrefse co.cenr_ir on.rnd
rp
lr'
Fl
r ii' i l
6 The der
ig. ,I
rhe
fo owing:a ong,naffow
good drree stories out
sides until on y
(! r geomerr
cirl o ee
bloc< ofbasa r stone project
oftre ground.The block is hol owed orr on
a ong middle
/,lrnlribs cmilf.Sccf lf l,
I
s
-ib and a nunrber of n'ansverse, hor
cross scction.tlre ima8ned bloc( row loo(s
oi dre
errer T wirh three hor zonta srrokes:a
rrori. oblccr of rrc o'rts
r nostbick,
rat.
,( ,).,, h.,r,,)tin.l ipitrr srrr.nrrc |,,r,,,rt r,,(l rr ,,1 .L rri.. \k),y hrrl,lL 1 ,, ,,1.,.1,i,"1 (,,,i, rr.l,r r',,,,\.v,! '.1i,!lwr,,r{)! ,,,l.w,rli. l.', ,Lr , 1, ,.,.111 w,! L),,,i, r/1,. ,'jrrirrl", rirli, rli r ',, ,,, ',r, I t,'
tl
the material.We hand e th s stone sculpture with the utmost care, for
the ha I ns great as I remembered ir, afd I was disappointed by the dull ghr on the wall paneling.
even at this stage it is already almost the whole buildinS We design the
joints of the boards in whlch it is cast like a fine network coverlng
al
rhe surfaces wlth a regular pattern,and we are carefLrlto ensure lhat the
ioints arisins duringthe section-wise casting ofthe concrete
wil
dis:P-
pear into the network.The thin steel frames Proiecrlng from the stone il(e b ades in the middle
ofthe door are intended to hold the wings of
the doors.and lighrwe ight
Slass
and sheet metal Panels are inserted be-
This djfference between the rea ity and my memor es did not surprise nre. I have never been a good observer, and I have never really wnnted
ro bc.I I ke absorblng moods, moving in sparial
fcd when
which (
llm
s
tuarions,and I am satis-
able ro reta n a feeling,a sLrong genera impression from
can later extract detalls as from a palnt n8,and when lcan won-
cr whar t was rh:t triggered rhe sense of prorecrion, warm$, light
rween the stone consoles of the floor slabs so that the intermediate
r.ss,
spaces between the .ibs become rooms !ike glazed verandas
lic
or
spac ousness
thai has stayed in my nremory.when ook back
fiis itseems impossible to dist
nguish becween archilecture and ife,
Our clients are of the oplnion that the careful way in which we treat
licrween spatial siruations and the way I experience them. Even when
our materials, the way we develoP the join.s and trans tions from one
,
element ofthe building to the orher,and the Precision of detail lo which
I l,.,ve seen, my perception of it resonates in whar I havc cxpcriefccd
we aspireare
a
Itoo
elabo rate.Th ey want us to
,)hccntra.e exclusive y on the architecture and try to undersrand whar
rl$rs
Lrs
ponents and con struc.ions, they do not want us to make such h gh de-
colors what I have observed. l"lem ories ofsimilar exper ences
r ,,, st the
r way
in, too, and
,
nate on its appointed site in five yeare o. five decades,whe'r I conslder
)r ,vrrircnt to the room?
l.l,,w
is wha! they see,thal whlch was finally constructed, I do no. find it so
,i
hard to put up a resistance ro our clients' w shes
'
I .evkited
and which I
$e
ha I
wlth the nichc n lhe end wa I thrt I liked so much
t-icd ro describc
c licf I was fo
orrScr nric whcthcr rhe
floor of rhc rii(h. wrs ici ly on r hithcr lcvc rli., r drc icst ot the hrll It wis ri.n N,,r
wr! rli(
( 1ff(
ui( c
rr
l)r 111,r,,,\( li,
rw{!ri rlir rii.hc rrr(l
I
)vlrl? Or,lf it was never there, perhaps l. shou d be added, as an im-
Lr
7
ha
,, ( well hnve existed. Perhaps it even d d exist once and was ater re'
When I !hink o{ the alr ofquality.hat the building cou d eventually cma-
that to the peop e who will encounter lt,the only thlng thal will count
thus mages of related ar.h tectural situa'
,ris ovcr ap.The difierence in the floor leve s of the niche and the
mands on the craftsmen and technicians who are co laborating wlth us:
they want us to bu ld more cheaply.
I
,,, ,w
lrrvc fallen back into my io c as an architcct, and I reaLlze once
1rcw ,,,uclr I e,rioy working w th my o d passions and rnages, and
r[.y
hc p me ro find
whit I .m looking foi
The Body of Architecture
Obseryations, impressions
I
I
was interviewed by the curator
ofthe museum. He tried to sound
me out by means of clevei unexpected questions.What did I think abour dr(hIecLUre. whar was rrrportanL to rre aboL! .ny
worl-these
w€re the thinSs he wanted to know.The tape recorder was on.I did my best.
At the end of the interview. I realized that I was not really satis-
fied with my answers. Lnter that evening,l talked to I
a
friend aboutAki Kaurismekil latest film.
admire the director's empathy and respect for his chancters. He does
not l(eep his actors on a leashihe does not exploit them to express
a
concept,but rather shows them in a lightthat lets us sense th€ir diSnity,
ind their secrets. Kaurismeklk art lends his films
a feeling of warmth,
I cold my colleague and then I knew what it was I would have liked ro have said on the tape this morning.To buid houses like Kaurismeki makes
films thatt what I would li
2 The hotel in which I was staying was remodeled by a French star deslgner whose work I do not know be.ause
I
am not interested in trendy
dcslgn. gut from the moment I entered the hotel,the atmosphere cre-
iEed by his architecture began to rake effeci Artlficial ight illuminated dro halllil(e a siage.Abundanr muted lL8ht.
B
right accen ts on the recep-
rlon desks, ditferent kinds of naturil slone ln niches n the wall. Peoplo iscending the graceful stairway to tlro orclrclinS gallery stood out iSnlns! a shinlng golden will. Abov6, ofio corld slt ln one of lhe dress 5l
c rcle boxes ove
look
ng
thc
ha I and havc a
drinl. or r snrc (.There are
only good scats here. ChristopherAlexander,who speaks n Pdft.r,ldn guo.qe
ofspatialsituarons n whlch p.op c ifsrinctlvcly fce good,wo!d
hrvc bccn p cased.Isxt in a box overoo
l.! rhat
was
pirrtofrhc
designcr
sstagcsct.l
l
loo(jn8 dowf on
rhc .ctiv ry bc ow wlrere people came ind went, entered ind ex red. Ie r I
3
(rf.erstood why the aichitecr is so suc.cssful.
She had seen a smallhoL se by
inrpress on on hcr, said H. cel lngs so LowThere was a
Fian. Lloydwrght drar nrrdc aSrext
lts
sosma and iitimale, the
riny bmry with special
ighr ng and a ot of
.
-
.:
:
de.orarive arch rectLral e cmcfrs.and tlre wro e house nrxde a slfong horLzonta impress on which she had never exper iefced bcforc.The old
stil lving rhcrc.Thc-c
lady was
was lro need for nre to go and see the
and
knew th€ f€cling of
4 The member of $e jury wc c showf buid fts
by rrch cects com-
housc, I
rhought. (llew lust whft
''home rhat
she mearrt,
she descrLbcd.
peri'rg for an architecrural award. I
srL
d ed the documents dcso lbing
a smalL red house n a rural setting, a barn converted
fto a dwe
ng
which lrad beef en arged by rhe irchire.r and dre ifhab nnts.Thc cx rens on was a success,l
rho!tht.Akholgh you co!
done ro rhc lrolsc beneath the s..ldle eled
afd
iool
d see
wh.r ha.l been
rhe .hinge wrs
we
]r.l h nFnoLr.Tlrc
ho!se. . n.n .ee,n fti b. iiyrrt lri i(w
rcw pirrs
of
c
r .irlif i,i, t,i, t (n rli. ,'rli,,it..,, i,,| llir..l ncwwlrol, l N,,rl[,r,'" l)f l,.,t) ,,,,, ,,,i,,\,1,,1 ,,,,r, r,,ii, ,t ,,',' ', "l' l'.',,',.1t, L,r
i' l,
i.,
lnod
nregrared.The window opc r fgs wcrc scn!li vcly p icc.l.l-lrc
old and rhc few werr. bi iir(e.l
t
I i
proach atluned to crafrsmanship.We agreed that we could not awad
agonal line of Broadway, the coaslal lnes of the perjnsu a.The bu ld-
design forthat,itsarchitecrura cialmslvere
ifgs, pacl(ed densely ln cheir right angled Srid,looming up in rhe sky,ln-
th
s
conversion
a
prize for
too modest.Yet I enioy th nl(ing bacl( on the sma red house.
d vidualisric, in love
with themselves, anonymous, ieckless,tamed by the
straltjacl(et of the grid.
5
ln a boo< about timber construct on, my attention was caught by
photographs of huge areas ofclosely packed tree trunks f oating on wide
expinses of water.I
:
so li
a
7
The former townhouse looked somewhat lost in the park- lke ex
panse.lrwas rheonLyblilding n thatpartof thetown co have s!rvved
co lase of lenslhs of wood arransed in layers li(e a cross section.The
rhe destruction of the Second world War Previously used as an em
n!merous photos of wooden buildings, despite the fact that they were
bassy.
architecrurally commendable,were less appea ing. have no. bui rwood-
ro rhc plans of a competent architect. Hard and se f-assured, che exten
en houses for a long time.
s
A young coleague asked me how I wou d go about bu lding a house of
ir was now being en arged by
a
third of
ics orlginaL size
according
on stood slde by side with the old buildinS:on lhe one hand a hewn
'rone
base,stucco fatades.and balusrrades,on.he other a comprcssed
wood after wor
n)ode[n annex made ofexposed concrete,a resn-ained,d sc plined vo -
glass.At once,lhad a menca image of a house-sized block of solid t m-
rnre rhat alLrded to the o d main bullding while maintaining
ber,a dense volume made of the biological subs.ance of wood,ho.izor
(lr
caly layered and precisely hollowed out.A house il(e this would change
I
its shape, would swel and conrract, expand and decrease n height,
lcrcd and extended many times over the centuries, developing grad!-
a
phenomenon that would have to be an integral part of the deslgn.lYy yoLrng
co eag!e told
nre that in Spanish, his mother tongue, rhe words
i
d scifct,
ogic distance in terms of lts design.
fo!nd myselfthinl(ing about the old castle in my vilage.lt
has been al-
ly fr-om a c uster offree-stand ng bui dings lnro a closed complex wl!h
r
!, |rrer
courlyard. A new arch tectural whole emeEed at each stage
wood, mother, and materia were simiar: modera, modre, moterio.We
i,frrs dcvc opment. Historlcalincongruities were not architectural y re-
star.ed ta king abolt the sensuous qualities and cultural slgni{icance of
,
.rdcd.The old was adapred to .he new or the new ro rhe o d, in the
the elemental materials of wood and stone. and abou! how we could express these ln
o!r
buildings.
rrtrcsr ofthe conrplete,integrared appeamnce ofits latest stage ofevoL
1)f
5
Central
Pad<
Sorrh, NcwYor
<,
r
hall
of thc firsr flooi lt was cvcfing.
Before me,framed bythe soarirS,sh r)ir)g,scony c ry, ed reclinglc of rhc
I
l hc r ccrrrrJtL rr' t,
r
lir r
!'"
(
p rsr€r,
("irP
.!
rnd cxflrincs dre
che walls, strips them
i iolfls do drcsc old blildings
reveal
Scncsis
iy.hc l)lgc wood-
pir ( Grcir citics c brsc.l on trcrr. clcir,wcll ord
erc.i cof ccp(r. l rli(nr)t
L
on On y when ore ifa yzcs thc s!bstance of
r
It|r r,'1 rlrr !rr cer\ tlic di
llli,,i1i,,{,(!rli{,.xliil)iri,)rl[vrL,,r(),i,, irt i lwi.(,,rfro]rrcdby5oP ,,)l
w.,ll\.|.rrr({l I'Ir rr ,. ,.Lrr II r '. 1,,,, ,,,,1r.r,1 I,
iyfLrly
r,,l}llifrl
battens and ropes hanging,leaning,fl oatinS,or pulling,taut or protecting-
The composition disclaimed the rlght-angle and soughc an informal balance.The architecture made a dynamic impression, symbolizing move'
ment.lts geslures filled the avaiable space,wanting to be looked mnke their marl.There was hardly any
at,
to
room eft for me.I fo lowed the
wlnding path indicrted by the architecture.
ln the next pavilion I met with the spacious elegance of the
BraziLian
master Niemeyer! sweeplnS lines and forms. Once again, my interest lyas captured by the large rooms and the emptiness of rhe huge out
door spaces in the photos of his work.
9 A.told me she had seen many tattooed women on the beach ofa small seaside resort in rhe CinqueTerre region, a holiday destination visited mainly by ltalians.The women underline the individualty of their bodies, use them
to proclaim their ldentlty.The body
as a
refuge in
a
world
which would appear to be flooded by artificial signs of life.and in which philosophers ponder on yirtual rea iry. The human body
as an
object ofcontempomry art.Surveys,disclosures
that seek knowledge, or the human body as a fetlsh of self-assertion that can only succeed when looked at in the mirror or seen through the eyes of others? This autumn lvisited the room with the exhibltlon ofcontemporary ar-
chitectula proiecls from France.l sawshiningobjects made of I ass,gentle shapes without edges.Taut,elegant curves round ng offthe 8eometri-
calvolumes ofthe objects arspecifc poinLs.The I lines reminded me of Rodln s drawings of nudes :rnd endowed drc oblccis with the
sculpcures.Architecruml nrodc of s!l.f:rcc
lcxtrrr,
s.
,J
q!r l.y of
Modcls BoiLrtihrl bodics,.clcbmr ons
iri(l fl,rwlcs\ cnrl)rr( ru' I lic
bodrcs.
I
0A
glass
partition divided up rhe length of the rarrow corridor of the
old hotel.The wing ofa door below,
a
firmly fixed pane ofSlass above, no
holrse.The quality
of
rs construction captured my attention.The archi-
cect received us.took us into rhe vestibu e, and showed us from room
clasps.
ro room.The rooms were spacious,their order ogica.We were eager
Normally done, nothing special- Certain y not a design by an architect.
to see each succeeding room, and we were not disappointed.The qual-
B!!
ity ofrhe day lght enterlng through the glazed rearfagade and a sl(ylight
frame,the panes c amped and held ar the comers by two metal
l(ed the
doorwas it because ofthe proporrions ofthe rwo panes
of glass, the form and position of the clamps, the gleaming of the
I
che muted co ors of the darl( corr
doi or was it
ass
over the stairs was pleasant. On all the floors, the presence of the lnr -
because the upper
male back yard arolnd which the ma n rooms were grouped was per-
I
pnne of g ass, which was tal er rhan the average-height s$/ing door be-
ceptible, even at the heart of the blr lding.
ow it, emphaslzed the height ofthe corridor? did notknow.
The architec! spol(e n respectflrl, amicable terms of the clien.s, the
fewly installed resldents, of their understand ng of his work, of h s ef
ll
lwas shown some photographs ofa complicated buidinS. Different
forts to comply with thelr requiremenrs, and o{ their ciitic sm of sornc
to overlap, s anting and erect,encap-
impracLica aspects which he subsequenty improved. He opened c!p-
sulated one wlrh n the orhenThe bullding,whose unusual trppearance
bo?rd doors, owered rhe large scrim blinds, which suffuscd thc livifg
areas, planes,and volumes seemed
Save me no clear indication as
!o
ics function, made a srrangely over-
room wirh a mellow light,showed
us
fo dlng partitions,and demonstrac-
loaded ard torru.ed impresslon. Somehow, it seemed two-dimens ona.
ed huge swing doors tha! moved no se ess y berween rwo pivors, clos
For I moment I thought I was lool(ing at a photograph of a cardboard
fg rlghtly and pr€clsely. Every now and then, he touched the surface of
model,colo llly painted.Lateiwhen I earnedthe name of thearchi-
some marerial or ran his hands over a handrai , a joint in the wood,
rect,
cdge of a glass pane.
was shoc
$e
ment? The architecrs name has an international r n8, his fine archtrec-
tlral
draw ngs are we I known, and his wrjtten starements about con-
l3
Thc towr I was vlsitng had a partic! arly attractjve neighbor-
temPorary archirecture,which also deal with ph losophical themes, are
rood. Bu dlngs from lhe l9th cenlury and rhe rurn of the centu
widely pub ished.
ry. so d voumes placed alofS the streets and squares, constructed
,)f srone xnd brick. Nothing excep! onal. Typically urbaf.The public
l2 Atownhouse ir
l,lanhatlan
new faeade in rhe ine of
$e
wi$
sn
a
Sood addiess,i!st comp ered.The
ccr of build
ngs srood
out disl fctly.
lf
nir! r sroncsliicd,srnoundcd byshss, oo(cd l
prcnrises on
.i
rhe ow.r floo
s frccd
thc rord, rhc dwe lngs ard offic-
rbove reffeired bch r.l prorccr vc
fi(r.l.s, hidifg
pr vrte spheres
Ir y (lvorccd frorn \1,,({, wli(li lr!t.,ri wr r lrr ,1 ,,111. ,r rr. Ioot oI tlrc
the phoroSr:rphs, rhc
l{rli nd prcstisious frrg, rr,,ryrr,,r.. lrrr.r r
L
rl,. l),,lni{
f I I had be€n told that a number of architects lived and worl(ed ln
chis
nejghborhood. I remembered this a few days later when I was looking at a new neighborhood nearby.designed by welL
I
found rnyselfthinklng about the unequivocal backs and fronts ofthe urban s!.Lrctures,the precisely art cula!ed public spaces,the graciously re-
srra ned fatades and exactly fittlng volumes for the body of the town.
l4
We spent years developing the concept, the form, and the work
ng drawings
ofour
sto ne-bu ilt thermal baths.Then construction began.
I was standing in front of one of the first b ocl(s that lhe masons had
built in stone from a nearby quarry. I was slrrpr sed and irritated. Although everyth ng corresponded exacry with our plans, I had not ex pected this conc!rrent hardness and softness, lhls smooth yet rugged
quality,.his ridescent gray-8reen presence emanating from .he sqLare stone blocks. For a moment, I had the fee ing that our proi€ct had escaped us and become independent because
it had evolved nro a
ma
teria entity that obeyed irs own laws.
l5
I
vislted an exhibltion
ofwork
by Mere! Oppenheim at the Guggen-
heim MLrse!nr.The techniques she uses are s.rll(ingly varied.There
is
no continuous,consistent style. Neverthe ess, I experienced her way of
thinking,herwayof lool(ngattheworldafd of interveningin !rhrough her wod(,as coherent and integra. So there is probably no
poift
n won-
derlng iust what it is that slylisr cilly links thc fanro!s fur cup and the snal(e made up ofpieccs
ofcorl.Dldn r Meretoppenhcim once snythrt
every dea nccds its proper fonn ro bc cffcctivc?
i
Teaching Architecture, Learning Architecture
Young people go
to
university with the aim
of becoming architects,
of finding out if they have got what it takes.What is the first thing we should teach them?
First of all, we must explain that the person standing in front of them is not someone who asks questions whose answers he already knows.
Practiclng architecture is asking oneself questions, findlng ones own answers with the help of the teacher,whittling down,findinS solutions.
Over and over The strength ceive
thewor
again.
of: d
good design lies in ourselves and in our ability to per-
with both emotion and reason.Agood architect!ralde-
sign is sensuous.A good architectural design ls intelligent.
We all experience architecture before we have even heard the word. The roots of architectural understanding lie in our architectural exp€rience: our room, our house, our street, our yillage, our town, our
lafdscape-we experience them all early on, unconsciousLy, and we subscquently compare them with the countryside, towns, and houses
rhic we experience later on.The roots of our understanding of archirccture lie in our childhood, in our youthrthey lie ln our biography. Stu-
,lcftshrvero
lci
earn !o work conscious y with lheir personal biograph-
cxperlences of archllecture.Their rllotred tasl(s are devised !o set
ltr s process in morion.
Wc nr.y wonder whit
ic
was that wc likcd ibout rhis house, this rown,
wlnr it was thic imprcsscd rn(l l()rr ln,,l
rr\
urr(l wlry.\^r'hir
wis the
I
room like,the square,what did it realy iook like,what smellw:s in the
The drawing ol scale plans also beg ns with the concrete object, thus
air, what did my footsteps sound like in it, and my voice, how did the
reversing the order
foor feel under
ard practice in professional architecture. First the concrete objects are
my feet,the
door handle in my hand, how did the light
strike the faeades, what was the shine on the walls likel Was there
a
polshed granite, pllable
masses, soft
texti
es,
Leather, raw steel. polished mahogany, crystal-
llne glass, soft asphalt warmed by the sun... the arch
constructedi then they are drawn to scale.
tect\
materials,
enced around with us.We can re-invoke these images in our mind\ eye and re-examine them. But this does
notyet make a new design.new ar-
chitecture. Every design needs new images. Our"old" images can only
our materials-We know them all.And yet we do not know them.ln or-
help us to find new ones.
der to design,to invent architecture,we must learn to handle them with
Thinkingin images when designing
awareness.This is researchtthis is the work of remembering.
By its very nature,the image is always the whole of the imagined real-
Architecture
not abstract, but
lry:wal and floor, ceiling and materials, the moods of liSht:nd color of
plan, a project drawn on paper is not archite€ture but mer-
a room, for example.And we also see all the details of the transltlons
concrete.A ely a more
ble
is always
concrete mattenArchitecture
or less inadequate representation of
is
arch itectu re, compara-
to sheet muslc.l'1usic needs to be performed.
A rch itectu
re needs
to be executed.Then its body can come into being-And this body ls al
is always
All de\,8n wo l.
\'rfls r'om Lhe o,e-
\e or rl ,\
directedtowards thewhole.
lrom the foor to the wall and from the wall to the window. as if we were watching a fiLm.
Often however,they are not simply there, these visual elements of the inrige, when we start on a design rnd
]
is stand-
We carry imaSes ofworks ofarchitecture by which we have been nflu-
feelng of narrowness or width, of intimacy or vastness?
Wooden floors like light membranes, heavy stone
o{"idea-plan-conc.ete object", which
try to form an
image of the de-
rl. obre( ,ive se, -
sircd object.At the beginning of the design process, the image is usualy
!s naterials.To e/perierce archirecru.e
incomp ete.So we try repeatedly to re-trrticu ate and clarify ourtheme,
ln a concrete way means to touch, see, hear, and smell it.To discoyer
ro idd the missing parts to our imagined picture. Or,to put it another
sJoJsress of architecrLre.
of
D ,ysk
l
I
l:nd
consciouslv work
w!n
rre rhe rhemes of
rhese aualicies rhese
Lour teachins. All the design worl( in the studio is done with materia
wry:we design.The concrete, Lrs
here.
k helps
sens uou s
quality
ofour inner
image helps
us not to ge! losc n arid, absrract theoretical assump-
lt always alms
rionsiir helps us not to lose rrack oftlre concrete q!allties of architec-
directly at concrete things, obiects, installacions made of real material
rurc.lr hclps us not to fal in love with the gr.phic quality of our draw
(clay, stone, copper, stee , fe t, cloth, wood, plaster,
s.
brick).There are no
cardboard mode s.Accun ly,no models at all in the convenc onal sense, bur concrctc obiccts, th|cc d mcnsiorrr wor (s oh
i
spcciflc sca c.
urlts
ird to confuse ! wi$ rcir irch tccturil
r rrrtLrtrl Ptotrsrr<,trrrontocveryone.lris tlrrikidt.A\!o.iiriv., wi(l fi (\ , r r ! L I \ysrcnrirc thinking
I'rrxhr. rg inncr intgcs 1,,r 1
of
qui ily.
s
{ ,
,
, I (
(
, r r i
(
in images. in architectural, spat
a ,
s my favorlrc definlt on of des gn.
,@'
;r -i i4I
colorfrl, and sensuoLs p ct!res rhis
I Does Beauty Have a Form? I
Apricottrees exist.ferns exist,and blackberries, too. But beauty?
ls
beau-
ty a concrete property of a thing or an object that can be described
or
named,
or is it a state of
mind, a human sensation? ls beauty a spe-
cial fee ing inspired by our perception of a specia form, shape, sign?What is lhe nature of
a
thing
th:t
or de-
sparl(s a sensatlon of beaLrty, that
gives us a feelinS at a certaln moment of experiencing beauty, of seeing
beauty? Does beauty have a form?
I
Music interrupts my writing. Peter Conradin is istening to a Char es
Mingus recordlng of the 50s.
A particular passage
has caught my a!-
.ention, a passage of great intensity and freedom in the calm, almost earthy sweep of its slow rhythm. ln the pulse of that rhythm, the ten-
or saxophone
spea
that
I
xlmost understand-word by word. Booker Erwin, the sound of his
horn hard and compressed, shrill but not brittle, porous despite the densityi dry pizzlcatos in Mingus's bass; no erotic, greasy groove"
rhrt seeks to disarm and conquer.The music, thus heard, might rhe mpression of sounding stift But it isn't.
give
lCs wonderful. lncredibly
bcilriful, my son and I s.y, almost in unison, as we ook at each oth-
ci I liscen.Themusic
k is r spice. Colorfu and senslrI inr irNidc r For r rnoment, nothing
dmws me in.
r . w rh depih rnd movcrncnL
2A
painring by Rothko,vibrant fields of color, pure abstraction.To me
And :ter, the villa on the hill: She wa
l
through the countryside and The building is ra-
suddenly sees a jewel that tal
away.
diant.As if it belonged to the
LandscaPe and
the landscaPe belonged
dlration, but not with an empty mind.You're fully aleft and aware. Con-
5 The beauty ofnaturetouches
us as
centration on the picture sets you free,she says.You reach another lev-
us. Man
it's only a question ofseeinS,a pure y visual experience,she says.
Other
sensualimpressions like smellor so!nd,materials or the sense oftouch
don't play a role.You enter the picture you're looking at.The process has something
to do with concentration and medihtion. lt is ike mesomething gr€at that Soes beyond
comes from nature and returns to it.An inkling of the rneasure
ofhuman life within the immensity ofnature wells uP inside
us
when we
come upon the beauty of a landscaPe that has not been domesticated 3 The intenslty ofa briefexperience,the feelingofbeing utterly suspended in time,beyond past and
to all sensations of
future
this belongs to many, perhaps even
beauty. Something that has the radiation of beauty
srrikes a chord in me, and later, when lt is over, I
say: I
was completely
and carved down
to hurnan scale.We feel
sh e
ltered, humble and proud
at once.\ /e are in nature. in this immeasurable form that we will never understand and now, in a moment of heiShtened experien.e, need
to
because we sense that we ourselYes are Part of
no onger
it
at one with myself and the wor d, at first ho ding my breath for a brief
I look out into the landscapei I gaze at the sea on the horlzon,look ar
moment,then utterly absorbed and immersed,filled with wonder,fee -
the masses ofwateril walk across the fields to th€ acaciasil look at the
ingthe vibrations. effo ftlessly excited and calm
as
we l,enthralled bythe
elder blossoms,trt the juniper tree and become still
water Her heart miss-
m:gic of the appearance that has struck me. Feelings of joy. Happiness.
She ls bathing in the Sicilian sea and dives under
The countenance of a sleepinS child, unaware of being watched. Serene,
es a
undisturbed beauty. Nothing is mediated. Everything is itselt
ments are untroubled and powerful and elegant.They have the self-evi-
The flow of time has been halted, experien ce cryst: ized lnto an image
dence of miLlennia.
beal.A huge fish
passes close by, silent and infinltely slow lts move-
whose beauty seems to indicate depth.While the feellng lasts,I have an inkling ofthe essence ofthings,oftheir most univeEa prcperties.lnow
5
suspect that these lie beyond any categorles of chought.
and above al the r shape,thelr lines.She lil(es lookingalshoes,notwhen
Sh
e loves beautifu shoes.
people wear them but
4 The Renaissance theater inV aged, great intimacy.
cenza. Sleep rows.The
wood worn and
A powerfu s€nse o{ spacc, iftcrsity. Everything
ri8ht, she srys, so :rmizin8, so nirurnl, I kc
i
hirnd.
is
S
he adm ires th e craftsmansh iP the material
is obiec$ whose shaPe
and whose beaury tmnsccnds
is strictly defined by use
pricricil dcminds unti they
conre full cir-
cle and say to
her: Usc rnc,wcir nrc. Thc bcarrty of r utilitirian obiect
is thc hishcst
foor of borrty, slx rrklt
7 As in
long as I can remember. I have
a
ways experiefced thc bcauty of
artifacr, an obiect created by maf as a special presence of form, as
r self'evident and self-confident hereness that
is intr nsic
to rhe obje.t.
Sometimes when such an object asserts itself in nature, I see beauty.
Thc building, city, house, or street seems consc ously placed. lt generirtes a place.Where ir stands, there is a bacl< and a fron., there is a left
ind a rlghr,there is closeness and distance.an inside and outslde.there d e lorms that focus and condense or modify the landscape.The result
Tlrc obiect and its environmen!:r consonance of nature and y .ieaced work that ls dlfferenr from the pure bea ty of
irrficii
natrre
irnd
.l ffcrcnt fiom the pure beauty of an object. Architeclure, the nrorhcr
{l
I
E
/
*.I
!.
5 re is
shnding with a group of younger people, mosty architects.
lr's dr zz ngi rhe a ,
,rl
tyard ofa
r
is warm.The men and women are standing in che
vi i.Theiropen
Lrmbrellas and sweeping,
un bu
lro ned
€in
,,,,rs lend rhem an ai. of cosmopo iran e egance.The daylight arolnd r rc 11orp is mild. Lighc from above shines through a sofr gray ce ing of , l,,Lras
drat co! d be interpreled as a thic< ayer of fog. l. transforms
,',. ir frrc riifdrops I
i,.
into particles
of
ght.The lindscape is f lled with
lri cs of thc nrcf rnd wonren standinB I rcre scenr serene.With un-
,1,,,(!1..r1,,,(xt
cir!,il ..,n.lrr rn.c, rhcy lrkc
rrr
drc statey manor, the
, '1,'iy,rl rlrco'rtlro(scs,tlr.(J]r,,,w,,|,,,)lr,i,w,oL,ltlir rongitr.O., ,.,) r r l,llt (,i,,ir I,,,1(, l'1,,,1 ,1.,!.,Tlir.ob '.,llyr(!rr.{, ! |1,!,,(,!.,r ,..r,,,it,, llrt,,,r,,1y,,1.r1,,.,..-,,,t1,',. t rr.'!r,\t),,rr'
I of porous stone and glass and fine-ringed wood and the way ir forms
meadow glisten.The meandering gaze seeks the way to theVilla Rotonda ofAndrea Palladio,wh ch is supposed
to be nearby.The sce're
arge courtyard with its older
has be-
the
place
imparts fee ings of attraction and aura. of enersy and pres-
ence.lt seemed as ifeverything l saw was in a state of balanced suspen-
I remember the experience othouses,villages,cities,and Landscapes,
abolt whlch I now
neighbors the new body set down with
non-geometrical precision in the ba ance ofthe masses and materials of
come a Lasting image in her memory. She has written about it.
9
a
sion.And the body o{the new building seemed to vibrate,she said.
say they lent me an impression of beauty. Did these
slruations also seem beautiful to me at the tlme? I think so. but l'm not
I
He ls standing in the porral ofSanAndrea in lYantua.A tall portico
of
quite sure.The impression came {irst,l suppose,and retlection fo lowed.
I
And I l(now that certain things were not invested with beauty until af-
light and shadow, single rays of sun on the pilasters.A world of its own,
terwards, through sLrbsequent impuls€s, conversations with friends, or
no longer city but not yet the lnterior otthe church. Pigeons are flying
conscious exploration ofmy stillaesthetically unclassified recollections.
high up in shadowy regions where the carved figures and moldings fade
have experienced. I assimilate
out of si8ht.I hear but do not see them. Darkness abounds.The light
the impression it has made on them if I am ab e to create an image in
thar penetrates reveals fine particles of dust in the airThe air is thick,
I can also respond
my mind
to beauty that others
almost tactile- t seems as if the thinSs under the portico in which I am
ofthe beauty others tell me about.
Beauty aLways appea.s
to me in settings,ln clearly delimited pieces of still
reality, objectl ike
or in the manner of
scene, composed
to perfection without the least tr:ce of effort or ar-
a
ife
sranding, things more sensed than seen, have energized each other, as
rhey were in a unlque state of mutuality, he says.
or like a self"contained
l2
tificiality. Everything is as it should be;everything is in its place. Norhing jars, no overs.ated arranSement, no
crt
is the thing
itself.lt captivates me.The pict!re that I see
Our perception is visceral. Reason plays a secondary ro e.I think
we mmediarely recognize beauty tha! is a product of our culture
que, no accusation, no alien ln-
and
cor csponds to our education.We see a form framed and condensed
tentions; no commentary, no meanlng.The experience is unintentional.
What I see
if
inro an emblem, r shnpe or a design, which touches
has
us,
which
has
the
the effect of a composition that appears extreme y nacunl to me and
(tuility of beinga grear dealand possibly everything in one:self evident,
at the same t me extreme y artful in its naturalness.
tn
ofound, myster o!s, stimulating, exciting, suspenseful...
Wlrcdrer the ippearance th.r touches nre iea ly is beaurifu cannot be
l0
Sheturnsthecornerofasmal shed rnd
sces the new bui ding
ropcrly iudgcd by thc form
for
f bccirsc thc dcpth of fcclinS thac be-
,ll\ ro thc scfsir on ol bci'rry i! rr,r iltrilrr.l by rlrc fofln is slrch but
the firsr time. She comes ro a halci rscon shed, electrificd. Something
r)
about.he wiy drc pilared bLilding is stin.ling tlrcrc, the wiy ir is mide
r,rr icr by rhc spirk
I
15c
rhir irrrt,\ fi,nri
I
r,,
rI
Blt
beauty
cxis6
a rlrouglr
it
mnkcs rc irivcly rare xppeiraices xnd
freq!entyinunexpecredpaces.Wh e exPec! r,
rh
i
orher places where we woLrld
stoaPPean
Can bcaury b€ designed
a
gu
rd mxde?Whit are the ftr es rhar
antee dre
beiruty ofour prodL ctsi l(nowlng iboL r coLfterpoint,harmon cs,the thc
oiy ofcolo rthc Go dcf Sccrion a!rd formfolowsfLrnctior'isiotenolgh. McLho.s irnd devices
a
rhose wonderiu lnsn
nrr.
fo cofr.ni
l3
lYy las< as a design€r is
!menls
noi do thcy gLamntc. rhc inaglc of a beautifu wltole.
diff.ult bydcfinron lt srclatcdroa_r
stry afd nchieve nent, intu tion and craf.rmanship. B!t men., authentic ty,
ind
fo otrer
wa rr to
crexte
rherown.lbe
so ro commit'
f.l mlst do m/ own thlrg
thir
because rhe parr cular subsnnce
andcan.wi.h rck, create it I
a
a deep nrerest in s!bjec! nrarrer
To ach cvc bcalry I rnusr be ar one wirh rnyse n rd
are no substi
lies
withif
r:\ble. house, br
eve every
we
recognizes beaL ry
me. On thc orher
dge
hrnd,rhcthings
musr be a owed ro come in.o
made rh ng has an
order rhat dcrcrnrincs its form.Tlris essence
s
lfhe.ent
y appr opriatc
whit I want to discover
and thereforestic.f flnlyrothematrerathand n thep ocessof de signifg. I b.
l.vc in an accuracy of olt oo < and n trrrr cortent in rea .
sens!a experience, wh ch irre beyond irbsrra.t opinions Whardoes this horsc waft ro bccomc.as body, irs
riri.e
ials f rrnly
or
if obiccrof!sc,is
de3s a p rys cn
consrrrcted.'r.llo re.. ts lhirpe fro ded nto
aform rharserves f€/Iis< nyscf rrdrsl.sorr.fro cWlritdocsthis
ho!s.wirriobclo L!b(rtbr,)r1r!,riy,r !,. ,r r',,r,1 1,.,, rLrr: barrerc| rnrlrlt,(,.(n, rli( 1, ,,i 1,(f L,n ,.,r i rl,n '(,l,r,w'riflht prthov. 1,,,1. ,,, 'il ,,r , i, L'rl,1 r,i,r
I
i
I I
4
"Ap ricot trees exist, apricot rrees exist/ Ferns exisq
an
d b lacl
exper ence ofabsence and pure bliss the experjence of a beautifulform
that has been lsnited by the feelins of absence. in the words of
wrter
The beginning ofthis essay as wel as the lines that fol ow are indebted
Maftin Walser:"The more we mlss sonrething, the more beautiful may
!o lnger Chr
become that which we have to mobilize ln order
stensen, whose poem 'Alphabet" begins
with these linesi
her poem builds on the infinitely increas ng rhythm of the Fibonacci numbers, a condensation of words in which she securcs the world and
Ih^r"by ei"r\es
parL cles rl-at
,parJe ana rricrre.
The lune night exisrs.The lune night exists
...
in this flying summer, no one understands that autumn exis.s,
the aftertaste and the alterthouSht, too, onLy the dizzying series ofthis restless ukra-sound exists and the jade ear
ofthe
bat turned toward the ticl
...
Beauty,l think as I read these lines, is at its most intense when lr is born of absence. l fi nd something missing,a compell nS expression,an empa-
thy,which lnstant y affects me when I experlence beauty. Before the experience, I did not realize
or perhaps no longer knew that I missed t,
bul now I am persuaded by knowledge renewed rhrt I wi I a wrys miss it. Lonsins.The exper ence of beir!ty makes me I
iwirc
of ibscf .e.Whar
experiefcc,whic touchcs nrc. cntiils bodr ioy an.l pirin Pi r)ful is rhc
to endure absen.el'
The Magic of the Real
..ryl
,.:j
There s the maglc of music.The sonata begins wth the first des.end-
::
ingmeodic ineof thevola,theplano sets in,andthereltisaLready,the
q! f ,-'
rismntaneo!s presence of a dlstinct emotionithe atrnosPhere of sound
{
rhir envelops and touches me,that plts nie in a special mood. lhere is the magic ol paintlng and poetry, of words and images, there ,\ dre magic of radiant thoughts.And there is the magic of the rea, of rhe physical.of substance, ofthe things around me thar l see and rouch.
rli,rr
smell and hear. Sometlmes, at certain moments, the magc
cof
v.ycd by a specific archilecture or landscape. a specific milieu. is sud,l(,nly rherei
Lr
i!
has materia ized like the measured growth of che soul,
\ lY;rrndyThursday. l'm sitting
rr,1 rhc panorama of
n the long loggia of the c oth ha l. Fac
the square, its row of bui d ngs, ts chlrch and its
,ii,rrunients. lYy back to the wall of the cafe.just the rlght amount of ti,1)l)lc.A fowcr mar(et.ln lhe sun.lts
ll
a.nr.The wall on the oppo-
.,r( srdc of rhe squrre lies in shadow, bnthed ln a p easant bluish li8ht.
W,ir.lo{ul
sounds: convers.tions close by,footsteps on the flagston€s
' l 1 ic squ c, fie murnrlrinr< ofthe crowd (no cars, no engine noise), ,{r,,. ri i whilcdstantsorfdsof .onslrucLiof.Birds.blacl(dots nflight, ,
r,,.y
l1)(,1<
ciscr flrf .hccdrl,i fist ind irssc.l pitrern of lnes lf the air
llr,. r(, ( ,ryi hivc jrst bcSun irxl \.rrr r(, lnvc slowcd .lowrr $e wil< ,,rl t, i, ( ,)l rlic pc()tn, . lw(, ,r ,i\, l, ,tlrly )t( \r ( rrl,r( rU. rrrikc rhc t wiy
',',r.
rlr'(,,i1 ,rrtLL,,(i Jlir
l,r,r,, L,,,
1,,
',
),1, l)11)wrrrlt
nrli(
w,,rl
Each carryinga plastic bag.The rem perature is pleasantly invigoraringand
thr&ten to disappearWithout the atmosPhere of the square, I real-
warm at once.I am sltting on a couch upholstered in pate,faded green
ze I would never have experienced those feelings. Now lt comes bac<
velvet.The bronze statue on a high p inth on the square jn front of me
to me:there is an intimate re ationship between our emotions and the
to me and joins me in ookingatthe twin{pired church.The
things around us.Thatthought is related to my job as an archhect.lwork
spires each have different pinnaclesj they are identicat when $ey srart
at the forms, the physiognomies, at the physlcal Presence of the thlngs
out at the bottom and become increasing y distinct toward the top.One
that constitute the spaces n which we live.ln my worl(, I contribute to
has its bac<
is
taler than
che
other and
has a gold croe/n.Soon B. is goinS
to appear
rhe existing physlcal framewor (, to the atmosphere of Places and sPac-
to the right, wall
es
At the time that I wro.e these comments about the atmosphere ofthe
The maglc of the real: that to me is the "alchemy' of rransforming re-
square. I was urterly enchanted with everythinS I saw Rereading my
al substances into human sensations, of creating that sPecial moment
notes now I wonder v/hat it was that moved me so much.
when matler, the substance and form of architecrural
Everything!Everything the things.the people,the quality of the air,the
be emotionally appropriated
ight,the noises,the sounds and the colors. Material
As an architect, I can construct worl
prese nce, tex.u res
and shapes as wel. Forms that I can understand. Contigurations rhat can
try to
read. Physiognomies that strike me as beautifut.
But apart from
: I the physica
to me
alone,
me
o!r
emotions.
sPace, can
was it something
to my rnood, my feelings, nry expectations as I sat
lhere watching and lisreningl
or assimilated.
buildings,or airportsil can buid flats with good lloor p ans rt affordable
impacti I can app y forms to my buildings that satisfy the need for lnno-
vatlon or novelty, sratus or lifestyle.
It is not easy .o do those things- lt takes worl( And talent. And more work. But thatalone is not enough to come up with comPelling,success-
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beho
der"-this
sentence comes to mind
fularchirecture bornofthosespecia momentsof Persona architectural
as I write. Does it mean that everyrhing I experienced at the time was
experience. and it makes me wonder:can
primarily the expression and the oucflow of my srace of mind, of the
I design wlrh whatever
mood that I happened to be in at rhe moment? Did the experjence ut-
architectura atmosphere? Can I create that unique
timate y have little to do with the square and rs acmosphere?
and mood, of prescnce, well-be ng, righl|ess and beauryl ls
ln order to answer .hat quest miss the square from
'ny
truly
p.ices: I can design theaters,trrt museums, or show rooms thar make an
materials, apart from the things and the
peop e, there was something else that touched related
I
that kindle
of,
conduct a simp c experimenr I dis-
mind afd che nomenr I do so. a curious thinS
happens: che fcclinSs evokcd by rhc
sillririon trcltii ro f,r.tc
ird
cven
it
ro glve concre.e shape to
l, as
an architect, invest what
is that actually constltutes the essence of an
dlt
feeLlng of intensi!y
it
Possible
which .lcfincs rhe nrig c of the real at
a
specifc lnomcnq ro drc spcll 1li.,r I cists on nry cxpc-iefce of it, con i(lring
i
.tLrility
thir I w,,Lr,l rnv,
(n!iw1,
(iln,ri(irrcc?
and discovering a path of our own,wandering, strolling, being seduced.
There are small and large. impressive:nd important buildings or complexes that dwarf me,that oppress me, that exclude
or reb!ff
me. But
there also buidings orensembles ofbuildings.both smallones and mo-
I give thought
to careful and conscious staging of tension between in-
side and outside,public and intimate,and to rh res holds, transitions, and
numental ones,that make mefee good,thar make me look good, that give me
a
sense ofdignity and freedom,that ma
And to the play of
sca e
in architecrure. l"ly dedication to finding the
and that I enjoy using.
right size of thlngs is motivated by the deslre to create degrees of in-
These are the works I feel passion for.
timacy, of closeness and distance.
So
e/hen l'rn working,lkeep remindinS rnyselfthat my buildings are bod-
ies and need
to be built accordingly:
membrane, as
Itry to
fab
mal
as anatomy and sl
thatthe materials are attuned to each othetthat they
radiatei I take a cerrain amo!nr of oak and a different amount of pietrd serend and add something to them:three Srams
turns or maybe surfaces of gleaming
glass, so
ofsilv€r or
a handle
that
that every combination of
marerials yields a uni!ue composition, becomes an origin"l.
I
isten to the sound ofthe space,to the way materlals and surfaces re-
spond
to touching
and tapping, and
to the silence that is a prerequi-
site of hearing. The temperature of rooms is very important to me.how coolthey are,
how refreshing, the chiaroscuro of warmth that caresses our bodies. I love thinking about the personal thlngs that p€op e surround themselves
with in order to work.ln order to feel at home and tor which
I
create room, sPace, and Place. I like the idea of arranginS the inner structures of my buildings in se' quences of rooms char Suide us, cake us places, but also and seduce !s. Architecrurc s Lhc art of sp:rce :rnd
rme
06
as
well
bcrwcen ordcr and f|ccdorr, bcrwccn
let us go
it is the nrt of
followifg. pa$
ove p acing materials, surtaces, and
edges, shiny and mat, in the light of the sun, and generating deep so ids
and gradations of shadinS and darkness for the magic of light fal lng on
!h ngs.
ric, shell, velvet, silk.and glossy steel.
I
Unti everything
is right.
The Light in the Landscape
The light of the moon The llght of the moon is a quiet reflection,large, even, and rnild.The light of the moon comes from far away.That makes l! quiet. I imagine
the shadows that things cast on the earth in the light of the moon imperceptibly seeking
se
paration. Though I cant te I with my bare eyes.
l'm too small or too close to make out the cosmic ang e between the source of light and the things
lt illuminates on earth.
When I start studying light and shadow, the light and shadow of the moon, the light and shadow of the sun, the light and the shadows produced by the larnp in my living room, I acquire a sense of scale and di
I have always wanted to write a book
about lght. can think of nothing
thar reminds me more of eternity,says Andrzej Stasiu< in his bool( The World behind Dukla.Events or objects stop
or djsappear or colapse un'
der their own weight and when I lool< at them and describe them, he says,
it is only because they refract lght, because they shape it and give
r a form thar we are capable of understand ng.
The light that meets the earth from afar I
wrnL
Lo
tlrink about .he
in ot]r lifdsc.pes, rhc obicct of nry
ind
ar
rlficial ght n nry b!ildin8s, in our cities and
citch nrysc f forcvcr retlr r fg,like a lover !o
idrriritior:tlrc itlir ilrit
thc !rrLokl nLIrbcr5 ()f
ll!lr\
\rrL ( 1, or,
nrccts tlrc crrdr f om
rrrtt
a{ii
i,rls lr(tLr.ls. srrfi.cs,
colol.s, and shapes that radiate in the light.The light that cornes from
The light of the sun
ollside the earth makes the air visib e,l can see it.ln the Upper
Enga-
Myriad small dots of light the stars in the sky,llre{lies in the woods, the
dine in autumn,for example,where the sl(ies are aready southern but
rrtificial lights of nightscapes on earth. Small objects of liSht that radiate
or reflect.The
glass beads in a ch:ndelier,
The lighr ofthe sun, rhe
Seen from a great height Seen from a great helght, the
day,
for example.
that reaches the sufface o{the eafth from
outer space,ls big and strong and directed. lt is one light.
artlficia lights with which people illlrmi-
nate the night have a soothing effect.We ilLuminate our buildings and
Darkness lives in the earth
streets,we illuminate our planet, ward off litt e pieces of darkness and
Recently, on a mountain hil(e,A. observed that the co ors of
create is ands
of ight on whlch we can see ourselves
and the things that
flowers
a on8
the path are stil aglow for a little bit after twiliSht
fallen, as if the flowers had stored the light and now have
we have accumulated around us. Sensing,smellinS,touching,tasting,dreaming
in the
dark-thatt
lheA pine
to release lr,
just not
enough.We want to see. But how much lght do people need in order
Darkness lives in the earth.lt rises up out of it and returns !o
.o live?And how much darknessl
strong breath, I read in Andrzel Stasiu<'s Duklo.
ls there a spiritua conditlon
good life? Or,to go even
forms in which light appears in nature.lam amazed,l learn from that,
a
and I am aware that it is the light of the
sln that il uminates the build-
ings I envision. I hold spaces, materials, textures, colors, sur{aces, and
the darl
Two hunters from San Bernardino,who spent
a
few days and nights in an
uncivilzed mountaln valley. describe coming home at
n
ght and oo
down on their illuminated viLlage-the tunne entrance,the gas station,
cal.s
a
The older I get,the mo.e inrense is my interest in the var ous ways and
further:Are there some thlngs we can experience only in dark, shaded
the
il lke
or a life conditlon so sensitive that tiny
amounts of llght would be enough to ensure
places, in
has
and how the familnr village suddenly seemed pol uted.
shapes up
to the lSht of the
sun: I capture
screen it offi I thin it out to create a agent, L'm familiar
this ight, refect it,filter it,
usterintherghtspot.Lightasan
with it. But when L really starr thinking about it,I un-
derstand hardly anything.
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, the author
of ln
to watch the full moon at the
lshiyama Temp e, bur changed his mlnd
Pro,se of Shodows, once decided
when he learned lhat rhey wolld p ay a record ng of rhe Mooniight notd for the enter.ainmenr of the vis Lors .nd insrill irri{ic
rl
So-
ghts ro
The light in the landscape
fte
i
Lrghr
in
e Ld,)ds.ope. Fr ederike
lYiyroc
text that secms cxr-cnrcy rr iobiogriplricrl to nrc. lts rn:rny shades
in.l shidows kccp brcrkrrll ,nr rirl u,'(,
'lru
||lir i\
slrc pilcs
rp
rhc
materi:l of her words layer upon layer, describing and creating inner and
outer landscapes.
LosAngeles by night Seen {rom an approachinS aircraft
that is gradually losing altitude, the
Personal landscapes. lmaSes and landscapes of longing, mourning, tran-
nighttime illumination of Los Angeles looks like a magical image. Later,
quility, joy,lone iness, sanctuary, ugliness,the pretension of pride, seduc-
on the streets of the city,that same light seems pal id and sickly
fion. ln my meno y Lhe/ all have a li8hc of cheir own.
an unnaturalbrightness in which the green lawns and bushes in
ls it even possib e to imagine thinSs without light?
yards
ofthe houses lool(
as if they
to
me,
thefront
were rnade o{ plastic.
Tanizal(iJun'ichiro praises shadows.ln the dark deprhs ofthe traditional Japanese home.where shadows crouch in all the corners.the gold of a
Between sunset and sunrise
lacquer painting glearns,and gentle lighr is diffused through translucent
Between sunset and sunrise. we furnish ourselv€s with illumination of
paper stretched over the delicate wooden frame of a sliding door so
our own making,lights that we can switch on at will.These lights ctrn-
that one can hardly distinguish the source of the daylight that captures
not be compared to daylight;they are too weak and too breathless with
and reflects the objects so beautifully in the half light.
thelr flickering intensities and swiftly spreading shado!vs.
Jun
ichiro praises shadows.And shadows praise light.
But when I do not thinl< ofthese lights
th:t we mal
as an
at-
tempt to eliminate darkness, when I think of them as nighFtime lights, accentuated night,as intimate illuminated cLearings thatwe carve out
Shadowl€ss modernism
as
lf I remember righty,l h:ve seen buildings of classical modernism that
of the darkness. then they can become beautiful, then they can haye
celebrate the light and the landscape. Richard Neutra's houses in Cali-
magic all their own.
fornia,for example.Shadows do not seem to loom large in these archi-
Which lights do we want to switch on between sunset and sunrisel
tectural compositions. But brightness does.light and air and the out-
What do v/e v/ant to iLluminate in our buildings, cities. and
door view the sensation of liv'ng in the landscape, of having the land-
How and for how
scape
flow into or through the rooms inside the landscape with all of
its llShts trnd shadows.Watching the sun set in these houses is a magniflcent experience. Later,when the house is no longer illuminated from
outside, it has to generate its own liShting, its own illuminated atmo$
phere.With human light.
long?
a
landscapes?
I
Awny of Looking atThingt
Peter Zumthor
Le.ture, written November 1933, SC ARC Southern Ca
lo nlr nnnute ofArchtectore.
The Hard Core ofB€auty
I
I
Lecture.wrtten December 99,s/mposum
P ran,Sovenia
From a Passion ro.Things to th€ThingsThemselves
Born ln Baselin l943,trained
Lecture,wi.tenAuBu$!994,AvarAatoSymposium,A'rhite.tureoftheEssentirl,'
as a
at the Kunstgewerbeschule Basel
cabinetmal(ei designer,and architect
:nd Pratt lnstitute, NewYork.
Since
1979 own practice in Haldenstein, Switzerland. Professor at the Accademia di arch;tettura, UniversitA della Svizzera italiana.
The Body ofAr.hitecture Lecture,writren Ocrober 996,Symposium FomFollowsAn/lhlnsl'Siockholm,sweden
Chur, I 986i Sogn Benedetg Chopel, Teachina
wrten
Archite.ture, LearningArchite.ture
Su
rnvitg, I 988; Ho rf,es for Senior Atizens,
Chur-Masans, 1993i fhermai Boths yojs, 1996i KunsthdLrs Bregenz, 1997:
September l995.Accademxd archilettura,l'lendrsio.Swee.and
Swiss Povilion Expo 2040,
Hannaver Documentotian Centet "Topography
of
Does Beauty Have a Form?
oflerror", Berlin, constructed parts
Slghty revked venion otrhe edureon thesublectot venu*asl'Eiven atthe D€parrment
lin StateiArt ,Museum
ofA..h te.ture ofthe Federd lnntuteofTechnoogrZu ich.November
Chdpei, Scheidtweiler farm, Mechernich, Germany, 2007.
Thequo.edpa$a8esarefromthepoen
Alphabef'n
1998
nger Christensen.En.henis.hes
6+
dl.ht zu Ehrcn det Etde,Auswahl oh,e Anfong ohne E de,ednen b/ P€rerwate' rouie {sa zburg andV enia: Res donzVelag, 1997)
The Masic of the R€al Le.toDdctonls,de veren lODecember2O0lontheoccasonoltheLaurcaHonoft sa
inArchnetiura awa.d ofthe Univehiti degiStud
d Ferara.
Frco
tI
cau-
diArchitertura
The Light in the Landscap€ Le.ture,wlitren Faena in
as
plrtofrre Nrtiona Rese .rProrc.r'FarLux_fori cidn8ittheBa'
Chii$o lA!s!*200,1
1997 demolished 2004 by Ber-
Ko/Lrmbd, Cologne, 2007i Sdjnt Eruder Klous Fie/d
Liuia
C) Phoros.aphsr
mkeri in rhe
Z!nr$or
P3d8eft
.
Fli)n
rcs de.ce,luly 2005
Lryour rnd Cover:Hifrcte cront!nd, Hc
s
nt
Qr ex6:Percr ZL,m$o: Hatdenstein T anslir.ion:f1a!rcci Oberti
turfcr
(ess:rys
t988
996),
Car|criie Schclbert (cssays t998 2004)
:r lfl:i
A r-
P.rhl.Er o rc..ra lff tris h.o. : rvi rL. t oir rt[ L b irr ot Ccrgt5j.
Bb.! iph.
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