Since 1996, he has been a professor at the Academy of Architecture, Universitá della Svizzera Italiana, Mendrisio. They have three children, all adults, Anna Katharina, Peter Conradin, and Jon Paulin, and two grandchildren.

Zumthor is married to Annalisa Zumthor-Cuorad. He established his own practice in 1979 in Haldenstein, Switzerland where he still works with a small staff of fifteen. In 1967, he was employed by the Canton of Graubünden (Switzerland) in the Department for the Preservation of Monuments working as a building and planning consultant and architectural analyst of historical villages, in addition to realizing some restorations. From 1963-67, he studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Vorkurs and Fachklasse with further studies in design at Pratt Institute in New York. He trained as a cabinet maker from 1958 to 1962. Peter Zumthor describes what really constitutes an architectural atmosphere as 'this singular density and mood, this feeling of presence, well-being, harmony, beauty.under whose spell I experience what I otherwise would not experience in precisely this way.'ĭelving deep into the mind and process of one of the centuries greatest architects, Atmospheres is a must-read for all aspiring and established architects as well as any individuals interested in architecture.Peter Zumthor was born on April 26, 1943, the son of a cabinet maker, Oscar Zumthor, in Basel, Switzerland. In nine short, illustrated chapters framed as a process of self-observation, Zumthor describes what he has on his mind as he sets about creating the atmosphere of his buildings: images of spaces and buildings that affect him are every bit as important as particular pieces of music or books that inspire him.įrom the composition and “presence” of the materials to the handling of proportions and the effect of light, Atmospheres enables the reader to recapitulate what really matters in the process of house design. Winner of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture 2009, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is considered to be one of the most extraordinary and controversial architects working today.Ītmospheres is a poetics of architecture and a window into Zumthor’s personal sources of inspiration. What on earth is it that moves me? How can I get it into my own work? Quality architecture to me is when a building manages to move me.

Peter zumthor atmospheres book