Material Man: The Architecture of Peter Zumthor

Born in 1943 in Basel, Switzerland, Peter Zumthor is an internationally acclaimed architecture whose \work has been frequently been described as minimalist and meditative. Though he manages a relatively small firm, his works have won him many accolades, including a Pritzker Prize in 2009 and a RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2013. Featured here are two of Zumthor’s amazing design that are representative of Zumthor’s oeurve: the Kolumba Museum in Cologne, Germany and the Saint Benedict Chapel in Sumtvig, Switzerland.

Kolumba Museum, Germany

Situated in the heart of Cologne, a city that was almost completely destroyed during World War II, is a museum that seems more like a place for contemplation than a building to house memories. Kolumba Museum showcases the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s collection of art which spans more than a thousand years. But visitors will find no labels or explanatory texts in the exhibition halls. There are no chronologies and no directly visible connections to an object’s style or date of creation. Viewers who wish to understand an exhibit would need to analyze it, contemplate it and rely on his or her own thinking. Equally spare is the design of the building itself, a testament to Zumthor’s skillful use of materials and his ability to create an immersive environment that invites introspection and contemplation.

The museum’s design delicately rises from the ruins of a late-Gothic church, respecting the site’s history and preserving its essence. The use of grey bricks for the facade unites the remnants of the church’s own façade into a new contemporary museum. The walls of the museum are perforated to allow diffused light to fill specific spaces of the museum. Zumthor’s passion for architecture to be a sensory experience extends to the door handles which are sculpted into the concrete. There is also a secluded garden courtyard serving as a quiet place for reflection.

Saint Benedict Chapel, Switzerland

This chapel is situated in the small village of Sumvitg on the slopes of the Swiss alps. Designed by Zumthor in 1988, the modest, human-scale exterior of the chapel captures the beauty and simplicity of Zumthor’s approach to architecture, while the interior showcases his unparalleled craftsmanship. The chapel was constructed on a hill site of the village following a 1984 avalanche that destroyed the original Baroque-style building. Zumthor’s first idea for the new chapel was that the materials used should blend naturally into the breathtaking mountainous surroundings, and respect the history and traditions of the Alpine village. As a result, the chapel is constructed with wooden shingles and snips, similar to the local traditional houses.

To give shape to the building, the chapel’s roof is reminiscent of the hull of a boat. Mediating between the expressive roof and the more traditional wooden base below is a ring of vertical wood columns and glass panels that crown the chapel, allowing natural light to filter into the interior space. The uncluttered interior space is supported by columns, beams and benches that showcase Zumthor’s delicate approach to material and details.