Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner AG

Martin Heidegger gave the title “Bauen, Wohnen, Denken” (“Building, Dwelling, Thinking”) to an essay with his reflections on what it means when men build homes and live in specific places. Building, dwelling, and thinking are activities which belong together and which men use as ways to learn about and be part of the world. Heidegger observed that our thinking, as abstract as it may seem, is closely connected with our experience of place. This has something to do with the fact that man exists in places, that it is from places that he forms his relationships with the world – or simply, that he lives in the world.

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I am impressed by the natural, self-evident presence of an ensemble that rings true, a milieu or a room that fits. Did the harmony between the work of nature and the work of man, the interplay between density, lightness and void, between sounds and smells, light and shade, materials and forms occur naturally or was it carefully composed? The casual passer-by, inhabitant or stroller, who could be me, is not concerned with such questions. He is concerned with houses and spaces that fit, that blend with their surroundings and are attuned to their use. He is concerned with places and houses that make him feel at home, that leave him free to live in peace while giving him inconspicuous support, that make him look good, and that charm him with unexpected attributes.

I like the idea that the house I build contributes to the atmospheric density of a place, a place which its inhabitants and passers-by will remember with pleasure.