Discussion: “I Build on My Experience of the World...” – an Interview with Peter Zumthor

© Ralph Richter
© Martin Rütschi  /  Keystone
Zumthor: Architecture is also an art, and since the 20th century, it has laid claim – like modern art – to a new view of things and perhaps to developing a critical potential. One is no longer part of a tradition that is passed on with no problems of reception. Popular perception and the perception of artists have drifted apart. A similar situation exists in architecture, which leads to a state of tension between the majority of people and the few who understand more about these things. On the other hand, there are certainly examples of architecture where the essential functions, qualities and properties of a building have been neglected in the planning – buildings that are vain, egoistic or arrogant. If architects take their brief seriously, they can do so with a degree of critical latitude; but the use and function must always be taken seriously. People are more likely to accept new interpretations if they function well. For example, I?design a new type of thermal baths. An old man comes up to me and says: “You’re the ­architect of these baths. You deliberately designed the lighting so that old people would ­also look good, didn’t you?” And I reply: “Yes, that’s right.”