PHENOMENOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE

BRUDER KLAUS CHAPEL

PETER ZUMTHOR
AD 573 - HUMANITIES
EUGENIA TRIAS

  I  
I hereby declare that,
I have consulted, and understand, the information provided in the University of
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conventions for referencing given in the module directive.
I know that plagiarism means passing off someone else’s writings or ideas as if they
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I have therefore taken every care in the work submitted here to accurately reference all
writings and ideas that are not my own, weather from printed, online, or other sources.

__Eugenia Trias_____05/03/15

  II  
HOW DOES PETER ZUMTHOR APPLY THE PRINCIPLE OF
PHENOMENOLOGY TO HIS ARCHITECTURE AND HOW DO BUILDINGS
SUCH AS BRUDER KLAUS CHAPEL RESPOND TO IT?

In this essay I would like to explore the concept of phenomenology and how this has
influences architecture through the studies off different architects and philosophers. I
would also like to explore and question the principle behind Zumthor’s architecture, the
way he applies the philosophy behind the phenomenologist movement and, way he
refers to phenomenology and how this influences the way people think, perceive and
understand architecture.

So, what is Phenomenology? “Phe-nom-e-nol-o-gy (noun.): The science of phenomena

as a distinct from that of the nature being.” How does this word relate to architecture?
Phenomenology can also be understood as the study of structures, experience and
consciousness. Christian Norberg-Schulz1 began to apply the principle of
phenomenology to architecture as a reaction against the perceived failure of the
Positivist and Structuralist models guiding modernism. “Phenomenology was conceived
as a return to things as opposed to abstraction and mental construction”2. This idea of
how phenomenology was understood holds a close relationship with Kant’s3 philosophy
stating that “things have two models of existing: the phenomenal thing is that which is
experienced by our senses, whilst the noumenal thing is that which exists outside of our
experience”4. Theorists such as Heidegger5 then apply this philosophy to architecture,
he explains that “a building shouldn’t be understood just as an object to be admired,
rather, it is primarily part of an on going human experience of building and dwelling”.
For Heidegger both words “building” and “dwelling” hold a close relationship as for
him this activities were related through people’s involvement with the things of “place”;
and their attempts to make sense of space. When we think of place, space and time they
merge into one, they become the substance of being; it can make us identify ourselves
with a space, as it has become ingredient of our experience. “Architecture is the art of
meditation and reconciliation”6.

Kant also believed that phenomenology is a branch of science that deals with things in
the manner of appearing to us, properties which are dependent on the human observer.
Satre and Merlau-Ponty’s view on phenomenology holds a close relationship to Kant’s
principle. In 1930’s they explained phenomenology as a mean of going beyond
“narrow, empiricist psychological assumptions about human experience”7, they tried to
expand the idea of philosophy trying to be about everything to capture life as it is lived.
The comparisons between philosophies say that knowledge comes only (or primarily)
from sensory experience, therefore a philosophy that invites to think about capturing life
from a holistic approach. This can lead to understand that for this two philosophers
phenomenology is about everything that is lived rather than just about the “sensory
experience”. Merlau-Ponty described an “in between reality” which is perhaps related
                                                                                                               
1  Oxford
Dictionary; http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/phenomenology
2
Christian, Norberg-Schulz. “Genius Loci: Towards a phenomenology of architecture”, 1980. (Pg. 8).
3
Immanuel Kant, an philosopher (1724-1804)
4
AJ Artemel. “Peter versus Peter: Eisenman and Zumthor’s theoretical throwdown”. Architizer.
5
Martin Heidegger, German philosopher and seminal thinker in the Continental tradition, particularly
within the fields of existential phenomenology.
6
Pallasmaa, Juhani. “Questions of perception: An Architecture of the Seven Senses”, 2006. (Pg. 37)
7
Moran, Dermot. “Introduction to Phenomenology”, 2000.

  III  
to the moment in which everything merges as a homogenous thing/being/moment/object
where there are no edges or boundaries to be defined. He then proceeded to describe the
“phenomenology of origins” which aimed to teach us to view our experience of a
building or space in a new light, not relying on the fully formed categories of our
pensive experience, trying to understand what the actual purpose of the space is and
what different connotations it might have for different people.

Jorge Luis Borges8 said – “what is essential in the aesthetic act, the thrill, the atmost
physical emotion that comes with each reading”9 – he is indeed referring to literature,
but there is certain similarity to the phenomenological principle of exploring each room,
the physical emotion that comes with each atmosphere created. Heidegger had the
opinion that both architects and historians had a tendency to judge architecture
according more to the aesthetics rather than the priorities of those who inhabit these
places. There is a correlation between both arguments, it could be said that by using
“aesthetics” it is easier to understand the priorities of those who inhabit the space, as it
is easier to experience the emotion that comes with each atmosphere.

Norberg-Schulz explores the character of places and their meanings to people through
his book “Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology in Architecture” as he describes
“genius loci” as a way of representing the manner in which people feel towards a space,
as a sum of all physical and symbolic values in nature and human environment10. The
meaning of the expression “genius loci” has changed throughout two centuries, one of
the meanings that is related to it referrers to a new aesthetic and appreciation of
landscapes. Alexander Pope11 (precursor of this concept) promoted the picturesque and
the pastoral idea. It is then when starting to understand the basis to phenomenology
becomes possible following the doctrine implied by architects such as Peter Zumthor,
Steven Holl, Alvar Aalto, etc. as they try to create an architecture that works cohesively
with its surroundings.

                                                                                                               
8
Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentinean short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator (1899-1986)
9
Borges, Jorge Luis. Forward to Obra Poética.
10
Christian, Norberg-Schulz. “Genius Loci: Towards a phenomenology of architecture”, 1980.
11
Alexander Pope was an 18th century English poet. (1688-1744).

  IV  
When Zumthor designs he takes into consideration how people will feel in the space
and what they might want to have in it, such as what materials are appropriate for each
space and what will that evocative material in terms of memories, feelings or
experiences for the uses of the building. In the Bruder Klaus chapel, for example,
materials such as concrete and steel are used, they’re very much part of the mundane,
however in this case it’s how they have been artificially constructed that gives them a
sense of otherness. For instance, the raw yet refined elegance of the interior was
achieved through casting around pine logs that were later burnt to reveal wisps of
charcoal on the concrete. The concept behind it was to create a mystical yet very rigid
rectangular outer shape that masks an intimate interior that invites self-reflection.

Fig 1. Interior detail of the chapel

The main purpose of this chapel is to be used as a sanctuary space, a space you attend in
order to pray. Clearly being such a well-known building it has attracted many tourists,
this is inevitable due to its remarkable and peculiar inside. The experience Zumthor
wanted to create was presumably one in which you felt inclined to pray, think or
meditate. This was achieved by its rather intimate internal space and the way it guides
you through it. The series of openings that travel consistently through out the cast of the
logs guides the visitor to unconsciously move towards the centre of the chapel. The
existence of the open centre allows rain, fog, mist or snow to penetrate through the
building and therefore create a different experience. That is possibly one of the main
characteristics of the chapel. It is not solely determined by one atmosphere or the
creation of just one experience; it has an infinite array of possibilities, the natural
environment as well the human occupation could differ the tone of the interior.

Peter Zumthor’s approach to phenomenological architecture stands out in comparison to

others, he creates atmospheres, one that is very real to the human experience. Zumthor
wants people to experience his buildings in specific ways, which he guides throughout
the environments he composes, it’s the different materials, lighting qualities and shapes
within the buildings, that help the user feel or perceive the space in a specific way, as he
explains in his book “Atmospheres” he says – “Materials react with one another and
have their radiance, so that the material composition gives rise to something unique”12

                                                                                                               
12
Zumthor, Peter. “Atmospheres”. 2006

  V  
– how materials affect the experience of a room, of how a visitor might feel when inside
such space – “There are a thousand different possibilities to one material alone”13.

Fig 2. Internal detail of different possibilities

for concrete. Fig 3. Use of pine logs for initial
construction.

In Zumthor’s book Thinking Architecture he reflects Heidegger’s observance of

experience, thus using emotion as a measuring tool. Zumthor pays close attention to
details as that is what he believes makes the experience. This is quite noticeable in most
of his designs; the Bruder Klaus chapel, Germany, is quite a good example of this.
Architect Peter Zumthor built this chapel in 2007; it was commissioned by a couple of
farmers that lived nearby. Zumthor decided to design and build this chapel free of
charge as his mom was devoted to Saint Nicholas of Flüe, patron of Switzerland. The
chapel is made out of pine longs and reinforced concrete, there is no plumbing,
bathrooms, electricity and running water, it only has a triangular door to symbolize the
entrance. The design of the pine logs resembles a leaf, which evokes a hedonistic
connection to life that goes beyond form and construction. The materials used for the
entire interior and the refined details are quite exemplary. Details such as just placing
one bench in the whole empty interior that invites to reflect are examples of the care and
thought put behind each finishing touch.

For Zumthor the physicality of materials can arouse experiences of places through
memory. What Zumthor tries to reflect through his thinking is that his architecture
appeals to all the senses. “The architects choreographed materials according to their
evocative qualities”14. As he explains in his book Atmospheres he suggests that his way
of thinking is by transposing what places should feel like based on his own memories of
past places, trying to create phenomenal experiences but within architectural form. “The
measuring of body and mind – the navigation by intuition and judgement which for
Heidegger makes sense in sparks of insight – becomes a way of designing for
Zumthor”15.

                                                                                                               
13
Zumthor, Peter. “Atmospheres”. 2006.
14
Adam, Sharr. “Thinkers for Architects: Heidegger for architects”. 2007. Pg 92
15
Adam, Sharr. “Thinkers for Architects: Heidegger for architects”. 2007. Pg 95

  VI  
On one hand Heidegger uses this phenomenal way of measuring relating it to the
theoretical aspects of architecture whilst, on the other, Zumthor brings this hypothesis to
life as he uses it as a basis for his designs. This principle also becomes the context
within which he believes people will experience his architecture. At this point you
question if today, people experience his architecture as he intended for it to be
experienced.

For instance, the Bruder Klaus chapel is a building that is meant to have a ritual to it.
You travel there and then the intention is that you have to walk up a mountain to get to
this sanctuary. Said chapel is meant to be visited in small groups of 3-6 people. This is
how Zumthor intended for people to experience his building, however the way people
experience it today is completely different. Now you are allowed to travel up to the
chapel by coach and groups of up to 20 go in at the same time. Does this then defeat the
purpose of Zumthor of creating such atmosphere; is that ‘atmosphere’ then lost?
Perhaps the atmosphere is not lost, it may be that instead a new one is created.
“Questions of architectural perception underlie questions of intention. This
‘intentionality’ sets architecture apart from a pure phenomenology that is manifest for
the natural sciences […] the relationship between the experimental qualities of
architecture and the generative concept is analogous to the tension between the
empirical and the rational.”16 As Steven Holl said, it’s the question of intention that
defines the space. The intention of this chapel started off as a space to meditate in
silence and solitude. All of this combined created an experience, an atmosphere, but
with the passing of time and the popularity of the building the intention changed, this
does not mean that the phenomenological values are lost, it just means they become
different, as does the use of the space and perhaps the atmosphere created. Hence
atmosphere is not lost, it’s changed, and it has evolved to respond in a more appropriate
way to the needs of the visitors. In theory this is what phenomenology is about for
Zumthor, creating a space that responds to that which users request. Emmanuel
Levina’s17 perception of phenomenology is quite applicable as for him phenomenology
is more attentive to the way in which other humans inhabit the space. This suggests that
even if the environment created is not the desired one it’s still applicable to
phenomenological values as “the people” are the ones that create the atmosphere and
consequently change the experience. This might even suggest that the experience of the
Bruder Klaus chapel is different and unique each day as there might be a very quiet day
in which people manage to experience the chapel as Zumthor desired whereas other
days may have an experience of being in a crowded small space in which silence and
peace are not predominant qualities.
Fig 4. Fig 4. Fig 5.
Bruder Entrance to
Klaus the chapel.
Chapel seen
From afar
in context
with
landscape.

                                                                                                               
16
Holl, Steven. “Questions of Perfection: Phenomenology in Architecture”. 2006 (pg. 41)
17
Levina, Emmanuel. French philosopher (1906-1995)

  VII  
Descartes once said “that a reflective consciousness gives us knowledge of an absolute
certainty; that he who becomes aware of ‘having an image’ by an act of reflection
cannot deceive himself”.18

“The timeless task of architecture is to create embodied existential metaphors that

concretize and structure man’s being in the world […] architecture materializes our
image of real life. Architecture enables us to place ourselves in the continuum of
culture. All experience implies the acts of recollecting, remembering and comparing”19.
Stimulating and translating our day-to-day experience is something which architecture
has the power of doing. “Everyday acts can become profound when experienced
through sensitized consciousness”20. Certainly the Bruder Klaus chapel responds to this
timeless task, to the ability of placing ourselves coherently within culture, within a
narrative that will make us remember that which the architect wishes to transmit
through the designed space.

Juhani Pallasmaa said “every touching experience of architecture is multi-sensory”21. It

seems natural to relate this to Zumthor’s interpretation of an architecture that allures to
all the senses, as that is what he tries to create. An architecture that will make people
experience and feel, to create an “architecture that involves seven realms of sensory
experience which interacts and infuse each other”22. “A particular smell may make us
secretly re-enter a space that has been completely erased from the retinal memory”23
again, one can associate this with Zumthor’s intent to create an experience that
stimulates memories. The subconscious of unknowingly being transported through
memories to another place is a quality that architecture has. Zumthor makes use of it
wisely as he imagines experiences to be punctuated by things which stimulate memories
and represent associations, managing to locate things in what he considers to be their
proper place in time and history.

Its quite clear that the phenomenological values and principles Zumthor believes and
participates in are quite strong in this chapel, but, if the principle stated by Heidegger
(quoted earlier) saying that “a building shouldn’t be understood as an object to be
admired […] rather it is primarily part of an ongoing human experience”24 is then this
lost, or perhaps, improper? Heidegger’s statement seems quite paradoxical, as the
Bruder Klaus chapel is a building that deals with a double purpose. On one hand, it’s
still used as a chapel, but on the other hand, tourist visit it. One could question then if
this chapel, conceivably meets somewhere in between Heidegger’s statement, as it is an
object to be admired but at the same time is part of an ongoing human experience. But
isn’t it part of the human experience to admire the beauty of our surroundings? Being
natural or manmade, you cant help but to have feelings about where you are, you either
like them, or you don’t, but not having an opinion is an opinion in itself right?

Zumthor’s phenomenal interest is to design thinking of what spaces should feel like
trying to recreate certain phenomenal experiences and to evoke memories. Are those

                                                                                                               
18
René Descartes, philosopher, mathematician and writer. (1596-1650)
19
Pallasmaa, Juhani. “Questions of Perfection: Phenomenology in Architecture”. 2006 (pg.37)
20
Acosta, Veronica. “The everyday phenomenology of the city”
21
Pallasmaa, Juhani. “Questions of Perfection: Phenomenology in Architecture”. 2006 (pg. 30)
22
Pallasmaa, Juhani. “Questions of Perfection: Phenomenology in Architecture”. 2006 (pg. 30)
23
Pallasmaa, Juhani. “Questions of Perfection: Phenomenology in Architecture”. 2006 (pg. 32)
24
Adam, Sharr. “Thinkers for Architects: Heidegger for architects”. 2007

  VIII  
experiences only met in terms of quality and use of materials or is the building being
misused by the public therefore creating the ‘wrong’ experience?

Zumthor ponders the idea of beauty, but is this beauty met when the experience of the
buildings, in this case the Bruder Klaus chapel, is not the desired one? Would then
Heidegger think of the Bruder Klaus chapel as a building that responds appropriately to
the notion of ‘phenomenology’ as he says “Language suggested to him that dwelling
involved somehow being at one with the world: peaceful, contented, liberating”25. Does
this chapel today respond positively to this or has the original experience been lost
along the way?

It may be a case that due to the use of the space, its phenomenological values such as
the experience of, for example, how the warm smoky aura of the chapel heightens your
sense of temperature and place, how the lack of roof or much natural lighting or heating
ensures the space is always cool (if not cold), therefore one is never truly comfortable in
the chapel, nor they should be as it is a place for reflection after all and how can one
reflect on oneself if you can’t truly feel your immediate presence?. Those experiences
are not lost along the way nor they are ‘wrong’ but transformed, and a building that
was built to represent everything that Zumthor believes in, is converted into the same
building but with different qualities. It seems that the building started as an exemplary
demonstration of phenomenological architecture and has, with time, become an
example of deterministic architecture. This is an architecture that affects the way people
live and behave; there is no accurate knowledge of the lifestyle, culture or behavioural
patterns of the people they are planning for. Zumthor is not an architect that does not
think of his client, or their lifestyle, in the contrary, he uses that knowledge to help him
define his designs. “I need a close contact to the client, whoever it is, and a commitment
of the client to go out and do a process together. I want to do the best for him. I need his
respect and patience”26, but it seems that this chapel has drifted from the needs and
lifestyle of the client, which is the married couple that commissioned the chapel, to try
and accommodate the needs of a whole new set of people, the tourists.

When inside the chapel some of the experiences you can feel are not just the visual
impact of the internal façade, but due to the construction process there is a sense of
smell of burnt logs that was left behind. This is part of the experience Zumthor was
trying to create. Its quite curious how within his own architecture some spaces, such as
the Vals spa in Switzerland, meet their purpose and phenomenal values as he desired for
it to be used, whilst other buildings, such as his chapel in Germany, might have more
phenomenal values but the experience is not the intended one.

Zumthor’s way of thinking of memories raises a convoluted series of issues with

reference to Heidegger’s thinking in architecture, exploring the idea that buildings and
things can represent cultural meanings, evoking the thought that Zumthor pursues that
choreography of the experience is involved in the design process.

                                                                                                               
25
Adam, Sharr. “Thinkers for Architects: Heidegger for architects”. 2007. Quote by Heidegger. Pg 41
26
Quote by Peter Zumthor in an interview.

  IX  
Zumthor takes the choreography of experience very seriously when it comes to
designing his work. “You need time […] I need it, otherwise I cannot create an
atmosphere […] if not the whole objective of my work somehow will be gone”27
Phenomenology (in its Heideggerian incarnation) endorses the value of immediate
human experience over scientific measurements.

“Architecture is not an experience that words can translate later”28. One can fully
experience a place throuhg the words of others, sure you can imagine but it wont be the
same as breathing in the ever so slightly musky scent of the charred walls that occupy
the chapel, that bitter sweet scent that whips you back to that chirstmas at your
grandmothers house, playing around the fireplace with your cousins, nor will it be the
same as feeling that sense of calm quiet and peace that you feel when you enter a place
of worship, or that sense of pride and accomplishment that you felt once you reached
the chapel throuhgh the mountain that leads the way up, no, all you can do through this
words is imagine how you felt at that particular moment.

Zumthor masters what its understood as phenomenological architecture as he taked into

careful consideration every detail that will make the building, from the door handle, to
the type of glass in the window to the materials used for the building, this tools are what
helps him pursue his obssesion with creating an architecture that evokes memories,
transport you to a different atmosphere. The Bruder Klaus chapel perhaps is a building
that hasn’t been quite resolved to its full phenomenological extent yet, as due to the
different use that it has eben given with the pace of time it doesnt trully meet all the
phenomenological qualities Zumthor wanted to have in it. Different points of views on
what phenomenology is and what it is based in from remarkable different philosophers
have been suggested, but one thing they all have a tendency to explain is “experience”.
Phenomenology is associated with ‘experience’, it cannot be put into words as human
experience is very hard to define seeing that it is different for each individual. So what
makes us architects think we have the power to control those experiences?

                                                                                                               
27
Adam, Sharr. “Thinkers for Architects: Heidegger for architects”. 2007. Quote by peter Zumthor
himself. Pg 106
28
Pérez-Gómez, Alberto. “Questions of Perfection: Phenomenology in Architecture”. 2006 (pg. 8)  

  X  
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books:
-Zumthor, Peter. Atmospheres: architectural environments; surrounding objects. Basel:
Birkhäuser, 2006.
-Norberg-Schulz, Christian. Genius Loci: Towards a phenomenology of architecture.
London: Academy editions, 1980.
- Sharr, Adam. Thinkers for Architects: Heidegger for architects. Oxon: Routledge,
2007.
-Kidder, Paul. Thinkers for Architects: Gaddamer for architects. New York: Routledge,
2012.
-Zumthor, Peter. Sound box: a handbook for the Pavilion of the Swiss Confederation at
Expo 2000 in Hanover. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2000.
-Zumthor, Peter. Thinking architecture. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2006.
-Holl, Steven; Pallasmaa, Juhani; Pérez,-Gómez, Alberto. Questions of perception;
phenomenology of architecture. San Francisco: William Stout, 2006.

Online sources:
- Peter Versus Peter: Eisenmam and Zumthor’s Theoretical Throwdown. August 1,
2013. http://architizer.com/blog/peter-versus-peter/
- The Big Rethink Part 8: Lessons from Peter Zumthor and other living masters. August
28, 2012. http://www.architectural-review.com/essays/the-big-rethink-part-8-lessons-
from-peter-zumthor-and-other-living-masters/8634689.article
- Phenomenology, Poetics and Architectural Custodianship. 2013.
http://www.arch.ksu.edu/seamon/Owen_wint_2012.htm
-Theory of Phenomenology: Analyzing Substance, Application and Influence.
https://cte.ku.edu/sites/cte.drupal.ku.edu/files/docs/portfolios/kraus/essay2.pdf
- The everyday phenomenology of the city. May 14, 2012.
http://veronicaacostadesign.com/Phenomenology-of-the-City
- Architectural determinism, the theory of architectural determinism remains
contentious. Why? http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/architecture/architectural-
determinism.php
- Architectural determinism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_determinism
- Housing, people, and places. 2010.
https://annalisevarghese.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/architectural-determinism.pdf

Images:
-Fig 1. http://uma1.net/new-blog/
-Fig 2. http://hicarquitectura.com/2014/09/aeb-30-peter-zumthor-bruder-klaus-field-
chapel-mechernich-wachendorf/
-Fig 3. http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Bruder_Klaus_Field_Chapel
-Fig 4. http://www.archdaily.com/106352/bruder-klaus-field-chapel-peter-
zumthor/ludwig_bruderklauschapel_no-06/
-Fig5. http://hicarquitectura.com/2014/09/aeb-30-peter-zumthor-bruder-klaus-field-
chapel-mechernich-wachendorf/
 

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