Peter ZumthorSwiss architect

born April 26, 1943, Basel, Switzerland

Swiss architect known for his pure, austere structures.

Zumthor, the son of a furniture maker and master joiner, graduated from the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland, in 1963 and in 1966 continued his studies at the Pratt Institute in New York City. In 1979 he established a practice in Switzerland. From the beginning, Zumthor purposefully kept his practice small so that he could be intimately involved with all elements of planning and construction. In his early Swiss commissions, such as the Saint Benedict Chapel (1985–88) in Sumvitg, Zumthor established his respect for site and materials. The timber-construction chapel is tapered to the extreme shape of the site, which is high on a nearly vertical meadow. The simple timber shingles on the exterior speak to traditions in the region, but the rigid, massive austerity of the space is thoroughly modern. As with most of his work, natural light dramatically fills the space.

A commission to design the Felsentherme Thermal Baths (1986–96) in Vals, Switzerland, presented Zumthor with a prime opportunity to create a series of varied spatial experiences. The structure, appearing like an enormous geometric rock carved within the hillside, is made from local quartz and concrete. The building’s entry is a dark tunnel, which frames a dramatic interior view of the site’s series of cubic spaces. Geometric windows carved in the granite exterior let in natural light, which interacts with the site’s pools of water to create shimmering, refracting effects. (Here, water is another material that Zumthor uses to maximum advantage.) At one end of the building, large windows frame a dramatic view of the mountain site. With this commission, Zumthor gained international attention for his blend of the monumental and the intimate and his masterful use of materials.

Although sometimes classified as a minimalist because of the austerity of his spaces, Zumthor does not have a single style or material of choice. Instead, he reacts to the needs of each individual commission. For example, in the Kunsthaus (1987–97), an art museum in Bregenz, Austria, Zumthor created an airy glass cube that generates a translucent gray light. Each of the building’s four concrete stories has a glass ceiling, letting in natural light that is optimum for a gallery space. The pristine quality of the building makes it seem like a temple to art; he furthered this impression by housing the libraries, offices, shop, and café in a separate building, making the main structure strictly a space in which to view art. His other important site-specific projects include the Spittelhof housing plan (1989–96) in Biel-Benken, Switzerland; a residential home for the elderly (1989–93) in Chur, Switzerland; and the Swiss Pavilion for Expo 2000 (1997–2000) in Hannover, Germany.

Zumthor has taught at a variety of universities, including the Technical University in Munich, Germany, the Southern California Institute for Architecture in Los Angeles, and Tulane University in New Orleans. In 1998 he won Denmark’s Carlsberg Prize for Architecture.