Book Of The Month / October: 'Atmospheres' by Peter Zumthor

In October's #BookOfTheMonth we want to share our excitement about the book by Peter Zumthor - Atmospheres. 
 

Atmospheres was published in 2006 after Peter Zumthor’s lecture at the festival of Literature and Music. The book provides light on the architect's poetic yet complicated process of making his structures speak with their surroundings. Expanding the building’s beauty to evoke an atmosphere that is abstract yet much desired and felt by the people occupying the space.

Peter Zumthor, a Swiss architect is well known for his tempered, atmospheric attentiveness towards his built form and their surroundings. A few of his famous structures are Therme Vals, Klaus Field Chapel, Kolumba Art Museum, Swiss Sound Box, and Kunsthaus Bregenz. 

Atmospheres is both written and constructed, a never-ending love affair with architecture. 

The book is written in an active voice and almost seems like a dialogue in self-reflection and analysis, meandering through questions, answers, examples, thoughts, and anecdotes. The book helps people comprehend what architecture and atmosphere are, what they mean to the author, and how he achieves them while constructing his constructions. He uses Brahms’ music and Nietzsche’s philosophy to communicate the power of art, music, and architecture as well as the intensity, mood, thoughts, and magic they produce. 

 

He questions what is <Magic of the Real> and answers this question with 9 short chapters that range from Materials, Sound, Temperature, Light to Composure, Seduction, Tension, and Intimacy. These are the ways of thinking that help the reader to understand what concerns him most when he tries to generate a certain atmosphere in one of his buildings. His practice in phenomenology goes beyond appearance to a deeper understanding of the ambiance and presence of objects in their respective surroundings. 

 

This book is made to be read and reread slowly, and carefully - to enjoy, reflect and be conscious of our own decisions. A great book for architects and architecture lovers alike.