Discussion of Line, Composition and Color

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Composition diagram1.5” x 3”

Pete

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To emote

To observe

To communicate

To present

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One thing that many architects have in common is that they like to work in a certain bubble, or comfort zone. For example, a famous architect named Frank Gehry likes to develop his projects in his warehouse in Santa Monica. In this case, Peter Zumthor has the same style and loves to develop his works in a secluded area in a barn maybe four to six hours outside of Zurich. These types of architects have a certain vibe about them that make their work oddly exotic. Peter Zumthor has an array of work that looks like it was hand done and that is one of the qualities that makes his work unique. Zumthor always thought that the experience of his building was more important than the whole theory on how it was made and the motivation behind it. Zumthor believed that designing a building always had to do with how the architect or artist connected to life and how an individual must think about qualities besides its construction. To Peter Zumthor, buildings have a certain silence and that there are sub categories to that silence which is presence, self-evidence, composure, durability, and integrity. Sense is also a major quality in how he communicates his work because Zumthor tries to put smell, sound, and composition into his work to use human senses that all humans are obligated to use. When Zumthor begins to analyze a site he looks at the background like its history, contours, and sensing qualities so that he gets a feel of how his architecture could relate to that nature. In Peter Zumthors “Thinking Architecture”, Zumthor expresses to the reader that in order to have that motivation that drives an architect, the architect must have a sensuous connection to life. Zumthor says in his book that the form and construction is a minor detail that real does not matter to him compared to the way the

designs and details. Most of the modernist work that Peter Zumthor has done has been labeled with a certain minimalist sense which have been given negative and positive feedback. Peter Zumthors profession is an

certain limits based on ecological and legal factors that the structure has to be carefully planned around. Zunthor emphasized the element of presence and how that in his childhood when he was a little boys running through the spring air which consisted of lightness and elegance Zumthor described presence as the present where it is a gap in history where it is not the past or future. Zumthors fascination with trees in nature also made him inquire about how a tree is an obsolete form, but is also a powerful form of communication.

Peter Zumthor’s main purpose in his book “Thinking Architecture had a clear and

matter should interact with the viewer clearly and emotionally. To emote means to

describes himself as being a 58 year old man, but remembering that when he was a kid, he remembers himself in the spring time running through the spring air and feeling a certain lightness and elegance that had him in a feeling of astonishment. Zumthors did not care about the little details, but the way the structure spoke to the viewer.

An example of how Peter Zumthor observed work was when he talked about the

inatimate and having no purpose being placed where it was, and that it had a lack of presumption. He said that the tree did not want to tell him anything and did not want Zumthor to acknowledge its presence. The main purpose though, in Zumthor’s eyes, is that the tree is not a special thing, but that it was an incredibly powerful object that portrayed a sort of stubbornness that in the end made it and object to really look at and observe.

Peter Zumthor during his presence lecture described the importance of “wordless impression in architecture, but not only did he include architecture, but also added

which was the house without a form. Zumthor’s architecture is meant to demonstrate every aspect of his intention to the viewer and not leave out a single meaning. Zumthor says that there is importance to “metaphysical silence” and that it is in relation with how an architect’s point comes across. The main point that came across though was that architecture is two thing which are the place and the use of the

On Zumthors third attempt, which he constructed the “form follows anything”, Zumthor presented one of this most famous projects which was the design of the Therme Vals. People lost their breathe when this project was presented because of the way the Italian stones were used in such a complimentary to the whole scenery. The

himself was amazed at how the whole project turned out and how the relationship just meshed together. For Zumthor, architecture was never about form, but he

displayed his intentions

and had adapted to the precision of the profession which would carry on to his work as an architect. The great thing about his precision is the way every one of his materials that he uses has nearly pin point accuracy and those qualities were even displayed in the render-ings of this designs. The delicacy in his designs have this unique quality and show lightness that is very distinct from most architects. Peter zumthor is a very materialistic architect and tries to incorporate materials that almost do not apply to the

dimensions of sense. Zumthors composition of natural materials like wood and metal gave him this quality where his designs looked like they blended in with

combinations of senses which are see, taste, touch, smell, and hear. He uses these elements by placing them carefully in an environment where some of the qualities

Peter Zumthor would rarely paint materials that he used and wanted to utilize the natural side for his materials to

Zumthors design of the Therme Vals demonstrated the

that gave the whole room an aesthetic illumination. Zumthor usually organized what colors he would use based on the surroundings and what colors would best

One thing about peter Zumthor is for certain, that is that communicating your project in a way that is understand-able to the public is not only vital in Architecture or Landscape Architecture, but is also important in many other disciplines such as music, art, and writing. The way you should look at a building, tree, or anything that has matter is how does it communicate and what are the ways that it emotionally impacts your perception. Peter Zumthors main concern was the quality in which buildings were presented, but little details like the wood, or the makeup of the structure should not matter because the only thing that matters is the big picture in the end result. How people remember the structure is the important element that one should consider while designing a structure.Zumthor describes his thinking process and how his train of thought are as important in how music or books push him to how he wants to design, what he wants to design, and how people are going to feel once they analyze his design. Zumthors composition of his materials and the presence of the materials in the design and the environ-ment is what really matters in the process of his design. Lights and poetics in the architecture also give way to the way he maps out what he wants to do with his designs. In Atmosphere, Zumthor articulates what really makes an atmosphere in the architectural realm, which is that presence carries a lot of weight in a design, while at the same time, aesthetics, harmony, and mood would not be the same if some of those elements were left out.Another main lesson about Peter Zumthor was that most of his motivation came through the understand-ing of nature and the way it made sense to him to design these projects in a way that depicted the juxtaposition of nature and his object. His motivation in design for these remarkable buildings was to speak to our emotions and understanding in a certain way that expresses a clear presence and personality. As a great designer, Peter Zumthor always believed that there had to be an intent for a design, just like the great sculptor Carl Andre, but also believed that the voice of the piece had to be as clear as water.Zumthor today is still designing these same fascinating designs that appeal to our emotion just like they did in the 70’s, and that is what is so great about this architect. After all these years, his design intent, motivation, and understanding of matter and space are all still there.

amount of not only architectural, but spatial knowledge really made his designs stand out. Personally, this architect is really interesting and looking into his

just looking at his work and understanding the message that he strives to instill in the viewer that the design is being presented to.

Motivation

Purpose

Born in Basel Switzer-land to Cabinet maker

Peter Zumthor apprenticed a carpinter

Peter Zumthor studied industrial design and architectureas an exchange student at Pratt insti-tute in New York

Peter zumthor founded his own �rm. His practice moved quickly and accepted more international asiignments.

Peter Zumthor yaught at U.S.C, Technical university in Munich, and Harvard graduate school of design.

Zumthor won the comppetition for a museum and documentation center on the horrors of Nazism to be built on the site of Gestapo headquarters in Berlin.

April 6, 1943 1958 1966 1979 1988- 19991993

Hatch

WaterMarble

Brick Cross Hatch

Diagonal Hatch Hatch Combination

Water + Marble

Brick and cross hatch

Graubuden is where Zumthor dsigned the Therme Vals. This design if famous for it’s modernist style architecture and displays a complimentay element with the snow of the Alps.

The spittelhof house in Biel-Benken consists of two rows of housing and is famous for it’s courtyard, accesibility, and river front property. The Kunsthaus Bregenz presents

exhibitions of contemporary art in the Austrian Capital of Vorarlberg and was built from 1990 to 1997.

Communication

voice

Object