NINE PRINCIPLES OF ATMOSPHERE

by Peter Zumthor

. WEEK 6 . 15.04.22 .
PRINCIPLE 1. ECEM
The Body of Architecture
When we look at Zumthor’s works in terms of the body of architecture, there is a visible balance between building and the
nature..In the first sentence of the first paragraph it says; “There is an exchange, a give and-take, between Peter Zumthor’s
buildings and their surroundings. An attentiveness. An enrichment. Words like atmosphere and mood inevitably come to
mind when faced with Zumthor’s architecture; the perfectly tempered feel of his built spaces is immediately communicated
to viewers, residents, visitors and the immediate neighbourhood.” When we look at Zumthor’s works, actually see what it
means with these sentences. There is a strong adaptation of an artwork on the field.

Serpentine Pavilion, Peter Zumthor Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor
PRINCIPLE 1. SİMGE
The Body of Architecture

In the principle of the body of architecture, Zumthor emphasizes the

strength of the material. Architecture collects different materials and
parts and brings them together to create spaces. This situation defines
a kind of anatomy. Zumthor likens architecture to our body, which is
made up of parts we cannot see, and the skin that surrounds us. The
skin, the membrane, surrounds us with various textures and fabrics
(such as dresses, velvet, silk). Buildings, likewise, surround us with the
combination of many materials that we see and cannot see, in various
forms. Atmosphere is based on the increasing interest in embodied
experience and deeper understanding of the human body.

Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor

PRINCIPLE 1. SİMGE
The Body of Architecture

THERME VALS

The fascination for the mystic qualities of a world of stone within the
mountain, for darkness and light, for light reflections on the water or
in the steam saturated air, pleasure in the unique acoustics of the
bubbling water in a world of stone, a feeling of warm stones and naked
skin, the ritual of bathing – these notions guided the architect. Their
intention to work with these elements, to implement them consciously
and to lend them to a special form was there from the outset. The
stone rooms were designed not to compete with the body, but to flatter
the human form (young or old) and give it space…room in which to be.
PRINCIPLE 1. SİMGE
The Body of Architecture

SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILLION

‘The concept for this year’s Pavilion is the hortus

conclusus, a contemplative room, a garden
within a garden. The building acts as a stage, a
backdrop for the interior garden of flowers and
light. Through blackness and shadow one enters
the building from the lawn and begins the
transition into the central garden, a place
abstracted from the world of noise and traffic
and the smells of London – an interior space
within which to sit, to walk, to observe the
flowers. This experience will be intense and
memorable, as will the materials themselves –
full of memory and time.’
Serpentine Pavilion, Peter Zumthor
HİLAL
PRINCIPLE 2.
Material Compatibility
Have you ever thought that
material can be a context in
design? So, how can this context
turn into the strongest character
of the design? Peter Zumthor
gives the material almost a soul,
and then he free this soul. He is
aware that all the relationships
that the material establishes with
the structure give us many
reactions. In the same way, all
the reactions that occur or may
occur in the future between the
materials bring us the possibility Secular Retreat/England
of infinite compositions. And if
this composition or these Every material has its story from the time it was discovered. I mean, make
compositions can make sense in sure that ‘‘the notebook’’ in which the story is written is correct, that is, ‘‘the
this atmosphere, we should atmosphere’’.
realize that we are on the right
way according to Zumthor.
Secular Retreat/England
Secular Retreat/England
Villa Rotonda, Andrea
Palladio, 16th Century
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Germany, 2007
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Germany, 2007
Swiss Sound Pavilion, 2000
PRINCIPLE 3. İLAYDA
The Sound of a Space

While designing spaces, interior design collects, amplifies and transmits sounds similar to instruments. Each room has a
different sound and a different feeling on people. This is greatly influenced by the choice of material. Just as wood used in the
same space will create a different perception, concrete creates a different perception and feeling. If we examine the rooms,
every environment in the house has a different feeling on people. For example, the sounds coming from the kitchen can create
a happy and relaxing feeling, while a room on the louder side can create a more mysterious and tiring feeling. All of these
places create their own tone.

It comes to life with the sounds they create in spaces and their feelings on people. When you are in a more noisy place, you
move to a quieter room to rest, so every space has its own feeling and we cannot separate it from the building.

“For me, the buildings can have a beautiful silence that I associate with attributes such as composure, evidence, durability,
presence and integrity, and with warmth and sensuality as well, a building that is being itself, being a building, it
represents nothing, one being. Meaning that I try to instill in materials is beyond all rules of composition, and its
tangibility, smell, and acoustic qualities are but elements of language that are required to use (…) ”
Thinking Architecture, Peter Zumthor
İLAYDA

Swiss Sound Pavilion

The pavilion was designed in Germany by Peter Zumthor. Peter

Zumthor conceived spaces through experience. To that
architecture is a complete experience must be assessed in every
way, to create a sensory experience. Therefore, the building is
called “Sound Box” or “essences box”. The pavilion is permeable
and can be accessed by either side, making every visitor has a
different experience in this changing atmosphere.
İLAYDA

For the duration of the exhibition hall becomes a

kind of sounding board. The scent of the forest
and the sound of crackling wood drying,
melodies that a group of musicians play and the
voices of soloists who improvise and react to
changes in the music are added. Musicians and
singers will alternate daily and weekly to
brighten the pavilion with sound. It is a constant
change. The music changes of rhythm, melody,
dynamics and timbre in accordance with rules of
composition to suit singers. In this way the
pavilion becomes a sound box, a huge
instrument through which you can walk.
Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor
PRINCIPLE 4. CEREN B.
The Temperature of a Space

“I enter a building, see a room, and — in a fraction of a second — have this feeling about it,” Peter Zumthor writes in
his book.

We perceive environments through senses, and make judgments based on the sensorial input that we receive. This
perception happens very fast; what we see is registered in 25 milliseconds, what we hear in 0,01 milliseconds, and what
we touch in 5 milliseconds.

Perhaps the most noticeable aspect in Zumthor's design is his consideration of temperature. Temperature differs
significantly from other aspects of design as it has an immediate effect on the human body and therefore plays a
crucial role in the first impression of a space.

Zumthor considers temperature as an essential factor in the design of atmosphere, saying: The temperature of rooms is
very important to me, how cool they are, how refreshing, the chiaroscuro of warmth that caresses our bodies.
PRINCIPLE 4. CEREN B.
The Temperature of a Space

People can only experience the existence of space when staying in a

certain space, and different architectural spaces could become
quieter or more energetic due to the existence of human. Take the
square space for example, people feel it is a square because it is
wide open. This kind of feeling differs based on different perception
objects, space service objects and utilization objects.

Whilst a cold room can provoke a sense of unease, a warm space

may induce a sense of calm and relaxation. That said, Böhme
suggests the warmth and coolness of a room is produced not only
by its comparative temperature but also by the materials in a
space. Often colors are referred to as cool and warm and thus we
can assume that these too, along with the smoothness or roughness
of a surface, have a large impact on the feeling of temperature in a
space.
PRINCIPLE 4. CEREN B.
The Temperature of a Space
“Color” affirms that it affects our feelings about a space.
Especially, warm colors seem to advance and cool colors recede,
it also makes us feel warmer or cooler even if the temperature is
the same. Cooler tones in a room makes time underestimated,
weight seems lighter, objects smaller and rooms appear larger,
whereas the opposite is true of warm colors.

“We used a great deal of wood, lots of wooden beams, when we

built the Swiss Pavilion for the Hanover World Fair and when it
was hot outside the pavilion was as cool as a forest, and when it
was cool the pavilion was warmer than it was outside, although
it was open to the air it is well known that materials more or
less extract the warmth from our bodies. Steel, for instance, is
cold and drags the temperature down that kind of thing. So
temperature in this sense is physical, but presumably
psychological too. It's in what I see, what I feel, what I touch,
even with my feet.” -Peter Zumthor
PRINCIPLE 5. HASAN
Surrounding Objects
‘’It happens again and again. When I enter a
building and the rooms where people,
live – friends, acquaintances, people I do
not know at all: I am impressed by the
things that people keep around them, in
their flats or where they work. You find
things come together in a very caring,
loving way and that there is the deep
relationship. ‘’

The first impression when entering a new

building and the rooms are different than
the others because the actions of people
affect emotions and feelings on approaching
the building design. Good surroundings will
give people perfect first impression and
make people feel pleased.
PRINCIPLE 5. HASAN
Surrounding Objects
PRINCIPLE 6. EBRU
Between Composure and Seduction

According to Peter Zumthor, architecture is a spatial

art, but also a temporal art. So it means a temporal
art, and by it he means movement. According to
him, architects determine the fiction of movement in
space. Based on this , Peter Zumthor’s ‘ composure
and seduction principle means freedom of movement
in a building.
Swiss Sound Box, Swiss Pavilion, Expo 2000, Hannover
Peter prefers to leave the discovery of space to
people rather than directing people in the space he
has created and dragging them into a space. Freedom
of movement in circulation is clearly meant by this
principle. Designing a space for him is like creating a
game. It is possible that we can see this in the Sound
Box of their venue.

Dining Spaces Circulatıon Diagram

PRINCIPLE 6. EBRU
Between Composure and
Seduction
-to induce a sense of freedom of movement

No hierarchy in general circulation in the

open-ended plan. Entrances also function as
exits. No clear pathway is visible because of
the dual function entrances as also exits.
Corridors exits only in modules and not
between them, which creates possible
routes through the circulation network.

Swiss Sound Box, Swiss Pavilion, Expo 2000, Hannover

‘As an architect I have to make sure it isn’t
like being in a labyrinth, however , if that’s
not what I want . So I’ll reintroduce the
odd bit of orientation , exception that prove
the rule- you know the sort of thing.
Direction , seduction , letting go , granting
freedom .There are practical situations
where it is more sensible and far cleverer
to induce a calming effect to introduce a
certain composure rather than having
people running around and looking for the
right door. Where nothing is trying to coax
you away, where you can simply be.
Lecture hall have to be like that for
instance. ‘
Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor
PRINCIPLE 6. EBRU
Between Composure and Seduction

-It’s a kind of voyage of discovery.

-The architect intended to not include clocks

within the spa, as he believed that time should
be suspended whilst enjoying the baths, but
three months after the baths opened, the
architect relented to pressure from the client
by the mounting of two small clocks atop brass
posts.

The baths were designed to look as if they

pre-dated the hotel complex, as if they were a
form of cave or quarry-like structure.

Thermal Baths Vals, Switzerland by Peter Zumthorz

‘The ability I am speaking of is rather akin
to designing a stage setting , directing a
play. In these baths we tried to find a way
of bringing separate parts of the building
together so that , they formed their own
attachments, as it were.These were spaces
you would enter and begin to feel you
could stay there- that you were not just
passing through. I’d be standing there, and
might just stay a while , but the something
would be drawing me round the corner- it
was the way the light falls , over here ,
over there; and so saunter on - and I must
say I find that a great source of pleasure .
The feeling that I am not being directed
but can stroll at will- just drifting along,
you know ? And it’s a kind of voyage of
discovery.”

Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor

PRINCIPLE 7. CEREN C.
Tension Between Interior and Exterior

Interior: Situated on or relating to the

inside of something; inner. which is
separate us from others, in other words
boundaries.

Exterior: Outside of something, shown

outside or on surfaces, outside the boundary
of the inside.

Facade: The front of a building, especially

an imposing or decorative one. any side of a
building facing a public way or space and
finished accordingly.
PRINCIPLE 7. CEREN C.
Tension Between Interior and Exterior

Bruder Klaus Chapel, one of Peter Zumthor's late career

works, is located in the town of Mechernich in the German
state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The sand-cement mixture
used in the chapel is stacked in 24 layers of 50 cm.

With its simple tent-like form, this structure clearly illustrates

Peter Zumtho's ideas about being inside. A simple glass door
defines the interior space with a finely drawn border and
stacked sand molds, leaving us outside looking at this
structure built in the middle of nowhere.
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Germany, 2007
Studio Zumthor,
1988
PRINCIPLE 7. CEREN C.
Tension Between Interior and Exterior

Peter Zumthor clearly reflects the excitement of being inside or

outside in his title. The interior and exterior world, completely
separated by a small threshold, door or joinery, and the facade that
covers it are extremely exciting.

In addition to the feeling of being inside, where we can be isolated

from everything we want, another exciting factor is that thanks to the
facade, we can show as much as we want to show and reflect what we
want to reflect. The feeling of being inside, which covers us with its
protective volume, feels warm and safe, on the contrary to the facade,
which reflects what we want to show to the outside, I exist inside with
all of our self and this is the factor that creates the tension between
inside and outside.
PRINCIPLE 8. SENA
Levels of Intimacy

In building design, the scale difference between the human and the building
is important. That's why according to Zumthor the levels of intimacy are
measure, mass, and gravity. According to Zumthor, the structural feature of
the interior is different from the structural feature of the exterior.
He expresses that we cannot separate the spaces from each other in a
massive way, like an interior and exterior wall, in the plans drawn and the
structures built.

At this point, the concept of scale is very important because concepts such as
proximity and distance in space have a significant effect on people's feelings.
PRINCIPLE 8.
Levels of Intimacy
Level of intimacy affects our perceptions with the
relationship between the concepts of distance and
closeness.For example, a long and narrow door has a
positive effect on people's perception and emotions, while
a wide door has a boring effect.and a door we draw in the
plan is only seen as an element separating the interior and
exterior spaces , but we cannot transfer the effect this
creates on the interior to the plan .
.
PRINCIPLE 8. SELİN
Levels of Intimacy

The contrast of the building to the body. Size, mass gravity, proximity and distance, scale. What is it that one
space can make you feel humble and small while another can make you feel proud and light?

Size, dimension, scale, proximity, and distance relate to levels of intimacy. The grand scale affects the idea of
human proportion. And small details contribute to a local intimacy within a space. The ideal monumental space
should “feel quite sublime” it should “make me feel larger, allow me to breathe more freely”.(Zumthor)
PRINCIPLE 8.
Levels of Intimacy

Peter Zumthor takes an example with the door,

which playing on different characteristics of it,
totally changes the perception that we have a
passage, a threshold. A large elongated door
makes always bigger when you go through it with
your body. We can see how Peter Zumthor shifted
the entrance to the door of Saint Benedict Chapel.
He always tries to create buildings where the
inner form, even empty, is not the same as the
outside. It creates spaces where the interior
atmosphere is very particular and very different
from that felt on the outside.

SELİN
Saint Benedict Chapel - Switzerland
PRINCIPLE 8. SELİN
Levels of Intimacy

Inside, you feel free. It is precisely this conception of the big, the small, that enters into relation with the human
being, makes him feel things and if they are perfectly arranged, man will always be in his place, even with large
spaces.

There is still something else that he adds intros theme of intimacy, the notion of dimension between the people
themselves. You have to imagine what we feel and how space would be lived with a lot of people. How to feel good,
and happy in the middle of all of these people? This is also part of his reflection on levels of intimacy, whether it's
the reported scale with the building or the report with a number of people small or big.
MELİSA
PRINCIPLE 9.
The Light on Things
Walter De Maria,(2004), Chichu Art Museum, Japan

Light has been fundamental in architecture. It

attempts to transcend architecture to mean more
than what it is and to be more than what it is. Peter
Zumthor, coming to the end of the nine principles,
thinks about whether this is actually what it's all
about, and wants to take on “The Light on Things”
from a simpler point of view.

Walter De Maria, an artist in America, showed

Peter Zumthor a work he had done for Japan, and
Zumthor saw it as an example for light. There is a
huge hall, open in the front and completely dark in
the back. And he put two or three huge stone balls
in it. On the back were wooden sticks covered with
gold leaf. And from the back of the room, this gold
leaf glowed from a deep darkness.
MELİSA
PRINCIPLE 9.
The Light on Things Peter Zumthor, (2011), Serpentine Gallery Pavilion

“Plan the building as a pure mass of shadow then, afterwards, to put in light as if you
were hollowing out the darkness, as if the light were a new mass seeping in.”

“Go about lighting materials and surfaces systematically and to look at the way they
reflect the light.”

“I don’t understand light. It gives me the feeling there’s something beyond me,
something beyond all understanding.“

“Light and shadow reveal form.”

- Le Corbusier, 1965

Peter Zumthor sees daylight and artificial light in an incomparably different place. He
thinks that the sunlight is very touching to him and creates a spiritual
feeling.Thinking that how few houses benefit from light in this incredibly beautiful
and natural part of the country, and that the light we see through the houses as we
walk down a street is actually a sign that life is shining again.
MELİSA
PRINCIPLE 9.
The Light on Things
Bruder Klaus Chapel in Germany, designed by Peter Zumthor Teardrop shaped light well at Bruder Klaus Chapel
"From the outside, the building looks
like a lamp. It absorbs the changing
light of the sky, the haze of the lake,
it reflects light and colour and gives
an intimation of its inner life
according to the angle of vision, the
daylight and the weather."

Kunsthaus, Bregenz
Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor