Atmospheres – Peter Zumthor

Quality architecture to me is when a building manages to move me. What on earth is it that moves me? How can I get it into my own work?
- Peter Zumthor

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.

Atmospheres is a poetics of architecture and a window into Zumthor’s personal sources of inspiration. 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.

From 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. 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."

Delving 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.