Building at Every Scale

(Image of the thermal baths roof detail.) 

Zumthor’s article, “Atmospheres”, feels like a love letter to architecture. His intentionality and passion for his craft emulates through his writing and makes sense in the context of his work. It is clear that the art and act of building for Zumthor starts and ends with how one experiences space. When I was working last summer, I asked my mentor what was her favorite part of the design process (I was in the middle of working on details and hated every second of it). She responded, “I love working on a building at every scale.” For some reason it stuck with me and changed the way I thought about my personal relationship with architecture. It is not a process that can be fractured and isolated. It is a wholistic process that requires harmony throughout. Like Zumthor, my mentor revealed to me the value in experiencing a building on every scale to create a structure worth standing.