Atmospheres
by Peter Zumthor
Tension between Interior and Exterior
Something else, something very special that fascinates me about architecture. Tension between Interior and Exterior. A fantastic business, this. The way architecture takes a bit of the globe and constructs a tiny box of it. And suddenly there's an interior and an exterior. One can be inside or outside. Brilliant! And that means equally brilliant! this: thresholds, crossings, the tiny loop-hole door, the almost imperceptible transition between the inside and the outside, an incredible sense of place, an unbelievable feeling of concentration when we suddenly become aware of being enclosed, of something enveloping us, keeping us together, holding us whether we be many or single. An arena for individuals and the public, for the private and public spheres. Architecture knows this and uses it. I own a castle. That's where I live and that is the facade I present to the outside world. The facade says: I am, I can, I want - in other words, whatever the owner and his architect wanted when they built it. The facade also says: but I am not going to show you everything. Sure, there are things inside - but you go and mind your own business. That's what castles are like that's what town flats are like. We use signals. We observe. I don't know if this passion of mine affects you in the same way. This isn't voyeurism. On the contrary, it has a great deal to do with atmospheres. Think of Rear Window Alfred Hitchcock. Life in a window observed from without. A classic. You see this woman in a lit window wearing a red dress, and you've got no idea what she's up to. But then-yes, you do see something! Or the reverse: Edward Hopper's <Early Sunday Morning), with the woman sitting in a room, looking out of a window at the town. I'm proud of the way we can do that as architects with every building we make. And whenever I'm doing a building I always imagine it in those terms: what do I want to see me or someone else using the building later - when I am inside? And what do I want other people to see of me? And what sort of statement do I want to make publicly? Buildings always say something to a street or the square. They can say to the square: I am really glad to be situated on this square. Or they could say: I am the most beautiful building here you lot all look ugly. I am a diva. Buildings can say that sort of thing.
