Architecture Leads the Life or just the Reverse

One of my favorite Chinese architects Lei Zhang once had been asked, "what do you think architecture is about?" "About life," he answered. Among all of the important functions that architecture can provide us, - education, critique, experience, etc. - I guess leading a comfortable and satisfied life must be the essential one. This is the main meaning of the existing of architecture. Normally, architects will do some research on the site, culture, lifestyle of the on-going project to try to understand the local lives and find the most efficient entry points. A successful example is the Zinc Mine Museum in Allmannajuvet, Sauda, Norway designed by Peter Zumthor. Allmannajuvet, with its characteristic landscape and rich cultural history, is one of the 10 largest attractions along the National Tourist Routes. In 2002, Peter Zumthor was commissioned by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to design a tourist route attraction for the purpose of welcoming visitors and bringing the old mining history of Sauda back to life. He did a lot of research on the lives leading by the mine workers in the 19th century. He found keenly that materials and the techniques which these recondite mine workers used were the keys to recall the memories of the local people and drag the visitors into the ambiance of 19th-century mining work.