Peter Zumthor addresses the sites in his project by looking at the surroundings, culture, people, and the history of the site and taking them into account in the feeling of his design. Peter Zumthor's concept of 'silence' is not the typical silence which is the lack of sound, his concept of silence varies person to person as it is a form of mental silence.
Fig 1 - The Saint Benedict Chapel located in Sumvitg, Graubünden
His concept of silence is also translated into his builds for example, his design of The Saint Benedict Chapel located in the village of Sumvitg, Graubünden (Fig.01) blends naturally in the village as the chapel is constructed with wooden shingles and snips, similarly to how the local traditional houses are built.
Fig 02 - The Therme Vals located in Graubünden Canton, Switzerland
Another project of Peter Zumthor that captures the nuances of 'silence' is The Therme Vals project (Fig 02), which is a sensory experience in a hotel and spa opened in 1996. The build is made out of locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs with bathrooms built half-buried into the side of the hill. The concept was to form a cave or quarry like structure to blend into the mountainous area with great dignity and respect by using the Valser Quarzite stone being the inspiration for the design as it is built over the only thermal spring located in the area of Graubünden Canton in Switzerland.
Fig 03 - Homes for Senior Citizens located in Graubünden, Switzerland
The two project's design philosophy that I feel strongly with are The Therme Vals (Fig 02) and Homes for Senior Citizens (Fig 03). Comparing the two projects to my own personal design philosophy, I value sensory experience in an environment as I believe a certain smell or visual may trigger ones' sense of memories and make them feel a sense of nostalgia. Having to feel nostalgia mostly will make the person feel warm and comfortable mentally, giving them a sense of peace and maybe giving them a sense of mental silence as well.
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References
Gili Merin. 2013. AD Classics: Saint Benedict Chapel / Peter Zumthor [online] Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-classics-saint-benedict-chapel-peter-zumthor> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
Rose Etherington. 2009. Dezeen: Key projects by Peter Zumthor [online] Available at: <https://www.dezeen.com/2009/04/18/key-projects-by-peter-zumthor/> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
ArchDaily. 2009. AD Classics: The Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor [online] Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/13358/the-therme-vals> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
Louisiana Channel. 2015. "I never decided to become an architect." | Architect Peter Zumthor | Louisiana Channel [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lufVOqRWpLQ> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
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