Peter Zumthor Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Zumthor
Zumthor at the 16th Venice Biennale of Architecture in May 2018
Born	(1943-04-26) 26 April 1943 (age 82) Basel, Switzerland
Occupation	Architect
Awards	Carlsberg Architectural Prize (1998) Praemium Imperiale (2008) Pritzker Prize (2009) Royal Gold Medal (2013)

Buildings	Therme Vals (1996) Kunsthaus Bregenz (1997) Kolumba (2007)

Peter Zumthor (born 26 April 1943) is a famous Swiss architect. He is known for designing buildings that are simple and strong. Even though his company is not very big, he has won important awards. These include the Pritzker Prize in 2009 and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2013.

Peter Zumthor's Early Life
Peter Zumthor's Career
Awards and Recognition
Books About Peter Zumthor's Work
Personal Life
Main Buildings and Projects
Images for kids
See also

Peter Zumthor's Early Life

Peter Zumthor was born in Basel, Switzerland. His father was a cabinet-maker. This meant Peter learned about design from a young age. In 1958, he became a carpenter's helper. He studied at an arts and crafts school in Basel. This was in 1963.

In 1966, Zumthor went to New York. He studied industrial design and architecture there. In 1968, he started working to protect old buildings. This job helped him learn a lot about building materials. He also learned how buildings are put together.

As he worked, Zumthor used his knowledge of materials. He mixed old ways of building with new ideas. His buildings feel special to touch and see. They also let in light in amazing ways. People say that light is his most important building material.

Peter Zumthor's Career

The Kolumba Museum in Cologne

Zumthor started his own company in 1979. His work became very popular. He began to take on projects around the world.

Zumthor has also taught architecture. He has taught at many famous universities. These include the University of Southern California and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Since 1996, he has been a professor in Switzerland.

Some of his most famous buildings are:

The Kunsthaus Bregenz (1997). This is a shiny glass and concrete building. It looks over a lake in Austria.
The thermal baths in Vals, Switzerland (1999). These baths feel like a cave.
The Swiss Pavilion for Expo 2000 (2000). This was a building made completely of wood. It was designed to be recycled.
The Kolumba Diocesan Museum (2007) in Germany.
The Bruder Klaus Field Chapel. This small chapel is on a farm.

In 1993, Zumthor won a contest. He was to design a museum in Berlin. It would be built where the Gestapo headquarters used to be. The museum would show the terrible things done by the Nazis. The project was partly built. But it was stopped because of money problems. The unfinished building was taken down in 2004.

In 1999, Zumthor was chosen for a special project in Norway. He was the only foreign architect picked. He designed two projects there. One was a memorial for people accused of witchcraft. The other was a rest area and museum. It was built at an old zinc mine.

Zumthor also designed a gallery in New York. It was for a large sculpture. But this project was never finished. In 2009, it was announced that Zumthor was redesigning a big art museum in Los Angeles. In 2011, he designed the Serpentine Gallery's summer pavilion in London. In 2023, a special exhibit showed 40 of his building models. Some had never been seen before.

Today, Zumthor works from a small studio. He has about 30 employees. His studio is in Haldenstein, Switzerland.

Awards and Recognition

Peter Zumthor has won many important awards for his work:

In 1994, he joined the Academy of Arts, Berlin.
In 1998, he won the Carlsberg Architectural Prize. This was for his designs of the Kunsthaus Bregenz and the Thermal Baths at Vals.
He won the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture in 1999.
He received the Praemium Imperiale in 2008.
In 2009, he won the famous Pritzker Prize. This is like the Nobel Prize for architecture.
In 2012, he was given the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. This is a very high honor in architecture.

When he turned 80 in 2023, a newspaper called him "the great magician of minimalism." This means he is very good at making simple, yet powerful, designs.

Books About Peter Zumthor's Work

Zumthor believes that you need to experience buildings in person. Because of this, not much of his work is published. The books he has written are mostly about his ideas and feelings.

Thinking Architecture

In Thinking Architecture, Peter Zumthor shares why he designs buildings. He wants his buildings to connect with people's feelings. He wants them to have a strong and clear personality. The book has photos of his home and studio.

Zumthor wrote: "To me, buildings can have a beautiful silence... a building that is being itself, being a building, not representing anything, just being." He also said that he tries to bring out the special meanings of materials. He gets ideas from places he knows. He also gets ideas from art, movies, and books.

Atmospheres

Atmospheres is a book about the poetry of architecture. It shows what inspires Zumthor. He describes what he thinks about when he creates the feeling of his buildings. Images of spaces and buildings are important to him. So are music and books.

He talks about how materials are put together. He also discusses how light affects a space. This book helps readers understand what is truly important in designing a building. Zumthor says an architectural atmosphere is "this singular density and mood, this feeling of presence, well-being, harmony, beauty."

Peter Zumthor Therme Vals

Therme Vals, Switzerland

Therme Vals is a book about this special building. It includes Zumthor's original drawings and plans. It also has amazing photos by Hélène Binet. Scholars wrote essays about the spa's connection to myths and bathing.

Zumthor added notes about his design. He explained why he used local stone. The book shows how the building fits with nature. It also shows Zumthor's focus on what is important. He does not like unnecessary fancy details.

Seeing Zumthor

Seeing Zumthor is a special project. It combines Zumthor's work with photos by Hans Danuser. Danuser took pictures of Zumthor's buildings. These photos caused a lot of discussion when they were first shown. The book collects these important photo series. It also has essays about how architecture and photography relate.

Dear to Me

In 2017, Peter Zumthor helped create an art show. It was called Dear to Me. The show celebrated 20 years of his Kunsthaus Bregenz design. As part of the show, Zumthor talked with many interesting people. These included philosophers, writers, and artists.

Their talks are collected in a set of booklets. They discuss art, ideas, and practical skills. These conversations give a look into the minds of fascinating people.