Vertical Project - High Street Buildings

Working from memory of feelings of spaces, Zumthor would inherently create more sensual spaces, designed for the entire being as one. However I believe the occasionally ambiguous and idiosyncratic spaces he creates have the ability to appeal to parts of our psyche that explicit buildings do not.

Reasoning- Ambiguous shapes and implicit forms; architecture, which is less explicit, leaves room for the imagination. Something, which is definite, leaves no room for memories or personal responses to a buildings presence.  As one of the greatest tools with which we can articulate our existential being in the world, architecture should leave lots to the imagination. Spaces can be filled with our memories when aspects of a building are kept a secret. I believe Zumthor achieves this in his creation of specific atmospheres.

Becoming interested in what makes several of Zumthors buildings such emotional and personal experiences. Visited them over summer and still cannot get over the phenomenal feelings which surfaced in these highly evocative spaces. Especially the brother Claus Chapel and the Baths in Vals. Was it the attention to detail, the constant vibrations, echoes, sound reverberations, refracting light from all directions? A multitude of senses and feelings permeating my being as one at the same time. Quite exceptional! I want to know what part of our perception was touched to awaken such feelings.

More on Gestalt principles

I was wondering- one aspect of gestalt psychology and perception suggests we subconsciously simplify complex shapes and structures into more simple geometric forms. Aren't buildings like the Gherkin, despite their undeniable presence; their simplified geometric forms reduce the act of perceiving to a simple one dimensional visual process- fit for a postcard but nothing more!


"Gestalt is a psychology term which means "unified whole". It refers to theories of visual perception developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. These theories attempt to describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes when certain principles are applied"


http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.html 

I found myself last year trying to work in a way similar to that of Zumthors by imagining spaces based upon my precious experiences of spaces and places. Often what I found myself doing was paying particular attention to the way light entered spaces. As the memories and perceptions of previous experiences entered my mind like a torch lighting up a room, only then could I begin to remember the vague details and feelings of that space.

For a chapel I designed for my stage II (Diploma) course I made tectonic references through construction to previous barns which would have dotted a once rural site in NorthEast london, many years ago. However, for a chapel one of the most important aspects was creating the atmosphere within the chapel.

Working from memories of dark solemn places and taking ideas from existing barn precedents I found myself sculpting the interior atmosphere from natural and artificial light, highlighting, revealing, hiding the structure to create a particular atmosphere.

Just reading about perception in new scientist magazine- Gestalt principles; will post information once I have access to the website. Not sure it's what I'm looking for at the moment, but seems quite interesting.


Gestalt is a psychology term which means "unified whole". It refers to theories of visual perception developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. These theories attempt to describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes when certain principles are applied.

Eyes of the skin- Juhani Pallasmaa

Just reading the eyes of the skin by Pallasmaa, initially became interested in Zumthors work for his sensual approach to architecture as well as the emotional spaces he creates. Reading Pallasmaa's books for his intellectual insights into the arguments for sensual architecture- architecture which appeals to all of the senses. What seems important in all of this is how we perceive the world. Perception seems key to understanding the way we experience our world- how is our perception linked to our memories?

Look back at sense perception chapters in phenomenology of perception. What links our perception to our emotions? What do we perceive in the world which makes for more emotional responses to our environments? Does Peter Zumthor utilise these aspects of our perception to create more emotional spaces?

Phenomenology

Through initial research of Zumthors writings I have come to appreciate his phenomenological approach to architecture, using his emotions and feelings as perceptual tools to navigate his was around memories and the environment.

Currently reading phenomenology of perception by Merleau- ponty, and occasionally dipping into Being and Time by Heidegger, to perhaps shed some philosophical light on the issue of remembering. The idea that our bodies and being as one apprehend the environment are phenomenological ideas developed in great detail by these two. The sensual nature of Zumthor's buildings suggests he wants us to experience his buildings on a phenomenological level, with all of our being. What I want to know is how does he achieve this? I am inclined to believe that working form memories to create specific atmospheres helps in achieving this. May start looking into how the memory works- dont want to get too deep though!

“My perception is therefore not a sum of visual, tactile and audible givens: I perceive in a total way with my whole being: I grasp a unique structure of the thing, a unique way of being, which speaks to all my senses at once.” - Merleau- Ponty

Reading about sense perception by Merleau- Ponty is interesting.

Memory and the Architecture of Peter Zumthor: Introduction

As part of my dissertation studies over the course of the summer this year, I have had the opportunity to visit several of Peter Zumthors buildings, throughout Germany and Switzerland. I have undertaken these visits as part of my ongoing investigation into the work of Peter Zumthor and memory. 


Fascinated with Zumthor's evocative and emotional spaces/atmospheres particularly his Brother Claus Chapel in Germany and the Baths in Vals, Switzerland, I became interested the thought and design processes undertaken by him throughout the initial stages of a projects development. 

Thermal Baths, Vals, Switzerland

Upon reading Zumthor's first written publication "thinking architecture" It became clear the memories of spaces and places and the emotions associated with them were hugely influential in the design process. In a sense the recollections of previous architectural encounters were projected into future hypothetical situations. Perhaps this was one of the keys to creating such intense architectural interventions? 

I like to think the highly self-conscious act of remembering places, atmospheres, places and transforming those memories into future situations lends itself to the creation of the highly emotional spaces of Zumthor. But how?