There is still a real need for good quality architecture, not paper architecture, but the real stuff.
Peter ZumthorRead
If you look at the Earth without architecture, its sometimes a little bit unpleasant. So there is this basic human need to do shelter in the broadest sense of the word, whether its a movie theater or a simple log cabin in the mountains. This is the core of architecture: To provide a space for human beings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Architecture reflects the human need for shelter and space.
In this quote, Peter Zumthor expresses the essential role of architecture in human existence. He emphasizes that architecture is not just about buildings; it encompasses any space meant for human use and comfort, highlighting our intrinsic desire for shelter that contributes to our overall well-being and experience of the environment.
Themes
ArchitectureShelterHuman NeedSpaceDesign
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation on urban planning, this quote could emphasize the importance of thoughtful architectural design.
More from Peter Zumthor
All quotes →In order to design buildings with a sensuous connection to life, one must think in a way that goes far beyond form and construction.
Peter ZumthorRead
I think the chance of finding beauty is higher if you don't work on it directly. Beauty in architecture is driven by practicality. This is what you learn from studying the old townscapes of the Swiss farmers.
Peter ZumthorRead
Designing is a matter of concentration. You go deep into what you want to do. It's about intensive research, really. The concentration is warm and intimate and like the fire inside the earth - intense but not distorted. You can go to a place, really feel it in your heart. It's actually a beautiful feeling.
Peter ZumthorRead
Architecture to me is whole. I cannot say I only care about this 25% and the other 75% I let go... it's just I want to work the way I want to work. In my shop, you can order certain things and other things you cannot. They are not available.
Peter ZumthorRead
I design for the use of a building and the place and for the people who use it... the reputation for arrogance comes because when work is offered to me, I look whether I can find a genuine interest in quality.
Peter ZumthorRead
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The architect must get to know the people who will live in the planned house. From their needs, the rest inevitably follows.
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Modernist buildings exclude dialogue, and the void that they create around themselves is not a public space but a desertification
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Who’s afraid of the big, bad buildings? Everyone, because there are so many things about gigantism that we just don’t know. The gamble of triumph or tragedy at this scale — and ultimately it is a gamble — demands an extraordinary payoff. The trade center towers could be the start of a new skyscraper age or the biggest tombstones in the world.
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I'm a bad customer for my own buildings! If I'm choosing an apartment, I choose one about five or six stories high so that I can see the people, the trees, and the world on the street. Beyond that, I lose contact with the ground!
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