Lessons Learned in Peter Zumthor's Stream of Thought

Peter Zumthor's philosophy and work represent mastery in areas that are difficult to be taught because it's difficult to define and based on experience. My own thoughts are that, it would be hard for me to take any of Peter Zumthor's work and discuss what I dislike about it. The tectonics of structure, moments, details, materials, and form all seem unified towards the greater whole as a piece while putting user experience at the forefront of his concern. Therefore, when the architectural object and the user's experience feel fulfilled, it's difficult to be overly critical about the final outcome. 

One of my favorite pieces by Peter Zumthor is his book "Thinking Architecture". Here he tends to avoid explaining himself, his philosophy, or theory and rather expresses his interests as almost journal entries or streams of thought. He talks about restaurants he visited, discussions occurring at his studio, composers he admires, and pieces of art that he likes. The point here is that his work is a product of a reflection on these experiences. He talks about when a door feels heavy or the feeling of different handles. It's a very romantic book in many ways, making every experience seem delicate, humble, and essential. I think the big takeaway from this book is that we all have a long history of experiences in spaces. Being curious about them and betting on yourself and your own artistic perspective is how we can all find success in our own work.

Peter Zumthor's work and process is why I'm so critical of an over-emphasis on more technical theory or building code. It can help set up good parameters to work within, but when it becomes a series of boxes to check off, we are subjugating the current bureaucratic or political prescription of what makes architecture good for our own intuitions on space. Its the same when I see students try to fulfill all the ideas there professors are giving them. It no longer becomes your own work or vision and something is always lost.