P is for Peter Zumthor in today’s A-Zdvent calendar window. The Swiss architect designed a Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London in 2011, and was also responsible for the Brother Klaus Field Chapel in Germany (pictured) and a memorial to commemorate suspected witches in Norway.
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News: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has revealed plans to raze the existing buildings of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and replace them with a new solar-powered campus.
Commissioned by LACMA to bring the museum into the twenty-first century, the architect proposes the demolition of the 1965 building by William L. Pereira and a later extension by Hardy Holzmann Pfeiffer Associates, in favour of a glazed two-storey structure that will sprawl out across the Wilshire Boulevard site in a series of undulating curves.
A large flat roof will encompass the new building. Solar panels will cover its surface, intended to generate more than enough energy to power the building.
“I think we have a great opportunity here,” says Zumthor. “Having a big flat roof exposed to the sky we can produce all the energy we want with solar power.”
Instead of a traditional entrance and staircase, Zumthor imagines the building with various entry points that will enable visitors to find different routes through the galleries. In some places the structure will be raised up on legs, providing ground-level storage for artworks, plus the Bruce Goff-designed Pavilion for Japanese Art is to be retained alongside.
An architectural model of the project is on show at LACMA as part of the exhibition “The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA”, alongside former and unrealised plans for the museum from architects including OMA and Renzo Piano.
Although the architect has been working on the project for over five years, the design is still conceptual and is unlikely to break ground for several years.
Peter Zumthor was this year awarded the Royal Gold Medal for architecture and described how he believes that light, materials and atmosphere are the most important aspects of architecture in the coinciding lecture.
He was also the architect of the 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, where he told Dezeen “I’m a passionate architect… I do not work for money”.
See more architecture by Peter Zumthor »
Here are more details about the exhibition from LACMA:
The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA June 9–September 15, 2013
Resnick Pavilion, Centre Gallery
As part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. initiative, The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA marks the first time the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has explored its own history in the context of an exhibition. The culmination of the exhibition is a proposed design for the future of the eastern side of the museum’s campus as envisioned by Pritzker Prize- winning architect Peter Zumthor introduced to the public for the first time, a project. The exhibition also offers an overview of nine other projects by the acclaimed architect, who has previously built only in Europe.
Exhibition Overview
The Presence of the Past contains approximately 116 objects, including architectural models, plans, photographs, drawings, fossils, film, and ephemera. Many of the historical materials are drawn from LACMA’s archive and have not been on public view in several decades, if ever. The exhibition’s chronology spans some 50,000 years, starting with actual Pleistocene fossils excavated from Hancock Park.
Peter Zumthor designed the exhibition space for The Presence of the Past, which is meant to evoke the architect’s studio, emphasising the process of design and research that continue to shape his evolving thoughts for LACMA’s campus.

Exhibition Organisation
The exhibition is divided into three sections, the first of which examines the museum’s buildings within the complicated history of its Hancock Park site. This section explores the development of LACMA’s campus and explains how financial restrictions, political compromises, and unrealised plans have prevented the museum from achieving both a unified aesthetic and an optimal art-viewing experience. In order to demonstrate the long engagement of artists with Hancock Park, The Presence of the Past includes the work of two scientific illustrators, Charles R. Knight and John L. Ridgway, who documented Pleistocene-era species at Rancho La Brea. These works are on loan from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The Presence of the Past marks the exhibition debut of Ridgway’s evocative watercolours of paleontological specimens which have only been illustrated in books to date. Knight’s renowned fifty-foot mural of the La Brea Tar Pits was installed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for decades but has been in storage for several years.
The first section also examines the museum’s more recent history, including the work of five prominent architects and firms that have either built on LACMA’s campus or have contributed unrealised plans that nevertheless influenced its architectural evolution: William L. Pereira; Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates; Bruce Goff; Rem Koolhaas’s Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA); and Renzo Piano. Among other stories, the exhibition details how Pereira’s original vision for the museum was dramatically compromised within a few years of the original buildings’ completion, when surrounding fountains – the driving concept of his “floating museum” – were paved over due to tar seepage.
This section also documents, with photographs, how artists have responded to LACMA’s architecture over the years, including Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Asco; as well as seven artists (among them Chris Burden, Michael Heizer, Robert Irwin, and Barbara Kruger) whose architectonic artworks have shaped the campus in recent years.
The middle section of The Presence of the Past highlights aspects of Peter Zumthor’s architectural career most relevant to his plans for LACMA. Nine Zumthor projects have been selected to elucidate key aspects of the architect’s proposed design for LACMA: his interest in the geologic history of the site, his passion for materials, craftsmanship and the effects of light, and his commitment to an architecture of total integration. These convictions are examined in two films that discuss Zumthor’s architectural approach and methodology: a short documentary by German filmmaker Wim Wenders and a presentation of Zumthor’s past work narrated by actor Julian Sands.
The third and final section of the exhibition presents Zumthor’s preliminary plans to re-envision LACMA’s campus and his ideas for the possibilities of the museum in the twenty-first century. More specifically, Zumthor’s proposed design would replace LACMA’s 1965 William L. Pereira and Associates buildings and the 1986 addition by Hardy Holzmann Pfeiffer Associates while retaining and highlighting the Bruce Goff-designed Pavilion for Japanese Art, completed in 1988. The centrepiece of this section is an over thirty-foot concrete model designed by Zumthor and produced by Atelier Zumthor, positioned at a height intended to simulate looking into the building at street level. The model is complemented by a short film by Lucy Walker featuring a conversation between Zumthor and LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, Michael Govan, about their plans for transforming the museum-going experience.
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Product news: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has designed a collection of glass condiment containers for Italian design brand Alessi.
The five-piece set comprises a tall cruet for oils and vinegars and four smaller shakers for salt, pepper, sugar and spices. Each one has a frosted glass body and a stainless steel head.
Zumthor describes how he came up with the concept years earlier, when he made a drawing of a salt dispenser while having breakfast in a hotel. “I made a quick sketch of thin lines suggesting an object which could hold grains or liquids.”
He explains that the sketch hung on the wall of his studio for many years until he could no longer remember what is was, and even mistook it for a skyscraper. “One day, the memory of my morning in the hotel came back to me and I recalled why I made the sketch,” he said. “At once, I took the sketch down to my model workshop and asked Iris to produce a series of glycerine soap models according to the sketch, which should look like brothers and sisters, small and big but all members of the same family. She shaped a beautiful menagerie of glycerine soap objects resembling frosted glass.”
Peter Zumthor is being awarded the Royal Gold Medal for architecture in a ceremony today at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. In a lecture last night, he told an audience that his architecture is not about form-making. Past projects by Zumthor include the Steilneset Memorial in Norway and the 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.
Alessi was founded outside Milan as a metal tableware producer the 1920s, became synonymous with designer kettles in the 1980s and now works with a host of international designers including the Campana Brothers, Karim Rashid and David Chipperfield. A selection of Alessi watches is available from Dezeen Watch Store.
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News: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor rejected architecture as form-making in his Royal Gold Medal lecture at the RIBA in London yesterday, explaining that he believes that light, materials and atmosphere are the most important aspects of architecture.
“Architecture is not about form, it is about many other things,” he said. “The light and the use, and the structure, and the shadow, the smell and so on. I think form is the easiest to control, it can be done at the end.”
Zumthor, who is best known for designing material-led projects such as the Therme Vals thermal baths in Switzerland and the Kunsthaus Bregenz gallery in Austria, told an audience that his ultimate goal is to “create emotional space”. He insisted that the “condensation of emotion” can be created in any building, from a humble railway station in Berlin to a house in countryside. “For me, they should all have atmosphere,” he said.
Above: Thermal Bath Vals, photographed by Hélène Binet
This notion of a “presence in architecture” provided the subject of the lecture, as Zumthor described his quest to find an architecture that is free from symbolism and all about experience.
Reflecting on a childhood recollection of running through a village in springtime, he said: “This is my first memory of something which I think was pure presence, with no meaning and no history.” He then discussed how these ideas influenced the design of projects such as the Steilneset Memorial, a tribute to suspected witches who were burned at the stake. “Meaning of course can never be avoided,” he said, “but I like to work as long as possible on use and structure and materials, to avoid premature meaning.”
Above: Steilneset Memorial, photographed by Andrew Meredith
The architect recalled how he once asked students to design a house without form, while his latest project is a holiday retreat with rammed concrete walls, intended as a haven of calm and reflection. “It’s about creating emotional space,” he added. “If I can do that, if I can create a space which is just right for its purpose and for its place, I think that is the greatest achievement. That’s my goal.”
In a question and answer section, Zumthor described himself as more of an isolated artist than an architect; someone who is not inspired by other architecture but instead tries to do everything without precedent. “I start from scratch, I guess I work more like an artist,” he explained. “I’m not a typological architect, I’m more of an architect of place. I always start completely anew.”
But with this emotional and personal approach to architecture, how does he find the right team of architects and trainees to work with him? “When you work in my office, this is a big family – you are helping me.” he said. “So this is not about your buildings, it is about my buildings!”
Above: Kunsthaus Bregenz, photographed by Hélène Binet
The Royal Gold Medal, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects, is presented annually to an architect in recognition of a lifetime’s work. Previous recipients include Herman Hertzberger, David Chipperfield and I. M. Pei.
See more of Peter Zumthor’s architecture, including his 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London. You can also hear more from the architect in an interview we filmed at the pavilion’s opening.
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– Peter Zumthor appeared first on Dezeen.
News: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is now inviting guests to rent a holiday home he built for his family in the mountain hamlet of Leis in Vals (+ slideshow).
Zumthor, the most recent recipient of the Royal Gold Medal for architecture, built two neighbouring timber houses in 2009 for himself and his wife and named them the Oberhus and the Unterhus. “Annalisa had always dreamed of living in a house built of wood,” wrote the architect in the year of construction.
Both three-storey houses feature a similar vernacular design, with gabled roofs and large balcony windows, but it is the Unterhus that Peter and Annalisa Zumthor have made available to rent. Peter Zumthor has also designed a third house, named the Türmlihus, which is due to complete this year and will start accepting bookings in the autumn. “We are very much looking forward to having guests in our timber vacation homes in Leis,” say the pair.
The Unterhus contains five rooms and sleeps 4-5, while the Türmlihus will contain four rooms and will accommodate a maximum of four people. The Türmlihus will also feature a sauna and a cross-shaped layout that offers views in four different directions.
Zumthor is best known for designing buildings such as the Therme Vals thermal baths in Switzerland and the Kunsthaus Bregenz gallery in Austria, but his more recent projects include a memorial to commemorate witches burned at the stake. See more stories about Peter Zumthor, including an interview we filmed with him at the opening of the 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.
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As Peter Zumthor has this week been named as the recipient of this year’s Royal Gold Medal for architecture, here’s another chance to watch the movie interview Dezeen filmed with him last summer, in which he told us “I’m a passionate architect and I think it’s a beautiful profession.”
Speaking at the opening of his Serpentine Gallery Pavilion (pictured) in London, Zumthor said, “I do not work for money; I’m not going for commercial projects. I go for projects where I can put my heart into it and which I think are worthwhile.”
He also told us how he started out in his father’s cabinet-making workshop, went to art school and “slowly, slowly” became an architect. “Now maybe soon I’ll become a landscape architect too,” he added. The pavilion featured a black walled garden framing a strip of wild planting by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf.
Zumthor, who was also awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2009, will be presented with the Royal Gold Medal for architecture in a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London on 6 February 2013. Read more here. See all our stories about Peter Zumthor here.
Read more about the pavilion in our earlier story and see more photos here and here.
Photos are by Hufton + Crow.
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News: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has today been named as the recipient of this year’s Royal Gold Medal for architecture.
Awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the medal is presented annually to an architect in recognition of a lifetime’s work and previous recipients include Herman Hertzberger, David Chipperfield and I. M. Pei.
Zumthor, who was also awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2009, is best known for designing the Therme Vals thermal baths in Switzerland and the Kunsthaus Bregenz gallery in Switzerland Austria, where he is currently showing an exhibition of his models.
His first project in the UK was the 2011 summer pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery in London and he is currently working on a hill-top retreat in Devon as part of Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture series.
Zumthor will receive the award from the Queen in a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London on 6 February 2013.
Hear more from Peter Zumthor in an interview we filmed with him at the opening of the Serpentine Pavilion, or click here to see a selection of his most famous projects.
See all our stories about Peter Zumthor »
Here’s the announcement from the RIBA:
Peter Zumthor to receive the Royal Gold Medal for architecture
The world renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been named today (Thursday 27 September 2012) as the recipient of one of the world’s most prestigious architecture prizes, the Royal Gold Medal.
Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence “either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture”.
Known for running a small yet powerful and uncompromising practice, Peter Zumthor founded his award-winning firm in 1979 in Switzerland. His most celebrated projects include the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria, the Therme Vals (thermal baths) in Vals, Switzerland and the Kolumba Art Museum in Cologne. He designed London’s 2011 Serpentine Pavilion and is currently designing a house in Devon for philosopher Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture architect-designed holiday home scheme.
He is exceptionally talented at creating highly atmospheric spaces through his mastery of light and choice of materials. Zumthor’s buildings, such as his small rural chapels and the Thermal Baths at Vals, are an experience for all the senses, with every detail reinforcing the essence of the building and its surroundings.
RIBA President Angela Brady, who chaired the Honours Committee which selected the Royal Gold medal winner said,
“Peter Zumthor’s work renews the link with a tradition of modern architecture that emphasises place, community and material practice. His writings dwell upon the experience of designing, building and inhabitation while his buildings are engaged in a rich dialogue with architectural history. I will be delighted to present him with the Royal Gold Medal.”
Peter Zumthor will be presented with the Royal Gold Medal on Wednesday 6 February 2013 at a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, during which the 2013 RIBA International and Honorary Fellowships will also be presented.
This year’s RIBA Honours Committee was chaired by RIBA President Angela Brady with architects Peter Clegg, Yvonne Farrell, Professor Adrian Forty, Niall McLaughlin and Sarah Wigglesworth.
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Architect Peter Zumthor presents a series of his models in an old post office beside the Austrian gallery Kunsthaus Bregenz that he designed in the 1990s.
A variety of clay, wood and metal models are displayed upon shelves specially created for the show by Zumthor.
The exhibition includes many pieces that have been in storage at the gallery for nearly five years, since the architect’s previous exhibition there in 2007.
The exhibition runs until 28 October and another Zumthor exhibition entitled Architecture and Landscape is planned for 2013.
We filmed an interview with Zumthor last year at the opening of the 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion – watch it here.
See all our stories about Peter Zumthor »
Here’s some more explanation from the Kunsthaus Bregenz:
KUB Collection Showcase Architectural Models by Peter Zumthor
In presenting Peter Zumthor’s architectural models the Kunsthaus Bregenz is opening a part of its hitherto little-known collection to a broader public. Few are aware that even before the opening of the Kunsthaus in 1997 purchase of works by contemporary Austrian artists as well as works at the crossroad of art and architecture by international artists had already begun. Significant donations by Donald Judd, Per Kirkeby, and others to accompany exhibitions and publications with the KUB have further extended the collection. Moreover, in the past three years there has been a policy of purchasing works from the big solo exhibitions or of artists donating them to the institution as a form of return service.
One of the largest groups of works in the collection consists of architectural models by Peter Zumthor. Some of these exhibits have been in storage at the KUB since the architect’s solo exhibition in 2007. Further models have been or are still being added to the collection as permanent loans.
As of June 2012 a selection of these models by Peter Zumthor will be on show in the 200 square-meter space on the first floor of the Post Office building directly adjacent to the Kunsthaus Bregenz. The curatorial conception and design of this showcase has been developed in close consultation with Peter Zumthor by Thomas Durisch. Realized buildings as well as projects that remained in the design stage will be on show. In its variety the exhibition demonstrates the outstanding role that working with models and original materials such as wood, metal, or clay play in Peter Zumthor’s studio.
In addition to the majority of exhibits, which are presented on a system of display shelves specially designed for the purpose by the architect, three specimen projects will be individually displayed. These three projects, all involving cultural spaces in the broadest sense of the word, are of recent date. All three buildings serve in different ways as gathering places for the presentation of cultural products such as handicrafts and music or (Redevelopment of De Meelfabriek, Leiden) revitalize an industrial heritage. Two of the projects (Werkraumhaus, Andelsbuch, and New Town Gate, Isny) are also notable for their geographical closeness to Bregenz.
Following the current presentation an exhibition of models by Peter Zumthor in the KUB Collection Showcase titled Architecture and Landscape is planned for 2013.
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Architect Peter Zumthor designed this memorial on an island in Norway to commemorate suspected witches who were burned at the stake there in the seventeenth century (photographs by Andrew Meredith).
The Steilneset Memorial in Vardø comprises two structures, one conceived entirely by Zumthor and a second housing an installation by the late Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010).
The first structure comprises a pine scaffolding framework, inside which is a suspended fabric cocoon containing a long oak-floored corridor.
Inside this corridor, light bulbs hang behind 91 windows to represent each of the men and women that were put to death during the witch trials.
A plaque accompanies each lamp to record the individual stories of every victim.
The installation by Bourgeois, entitled The Damned, The Possessed and The Beloved, occupies the smoked-glass-clad second structure.
A circle of mirrors within surround and reflect a flaming steel chair inside a hollow concrete cone.
This year Zumthor also completed the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London and designed a holiday home for Devon, England, that will complete next year.
See all our stories about Peter Zumthor here.
You can also read about more projects from Norway by clicking here.
Photography is provided c/o Icon Magazine.
Here’s another set of photographs of this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Peter Zumthor, this time by photographer Julien Lanoo.
Read about the pavilion in our earlier story and watch an interview we filmed with Zumthor at the private view on Dezeen Screen.
See the pavilion photographed by by UK photographers Hufton + Crow here, including glowing evening shots.
The pavilion is open to the public in Kensington Gardens, London, until 16 October.
See all our stories about Peter Zumthor »
See all our stories about the Serpentine Gallery Pavilions »
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