Pritzker Prize Goes to Peter Zumthor

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(image by wolfram janzer)

He is not a celebrity architect, not one of the names that show up on shortlists for museums and concert hall projects or known beyond architecture circles. He hasn’t designed many buildings; the one he is best known for is a thermal spa in an Alpine commune. And he has toiled in relative obscurity for the last 30 years in a remote village in the Swiss mountains.

But on Monday the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is to be named the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize, the highest recognition for architects.

Pritzker Prize Goes to Peter Zumthor, by Robin Pogrebin.
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6 Comments leave a comment below

  1. I always wanted to see the Hotel Therme. :o( … One of these days I’ll make it … Love his design.

  2. We just finally went to the hotel in Vals in February and the whole thing is *amazing*. We were in the hot outdoor bath and snow was falling on our heads at the same time. Switzerland is so beautiful ;D

  3. We went to Vals in August, not knowing that they have an Alphorn week each year. The beautiful soundscape of Alphorns echoing in the Vals valley was a wonderful add-on to our stay in Hotel Therme. The thermal spa is well worth a visit. Great, while cautious architecture.

  4. When we went to Vals the spa was fully booked, so if you plan to climb up there, reserve in advance.

    At least when we visited the Kunsthaus in Bregenz during the same tour, we were able to snap some shots of the interiors, (which is forbidden).

  5. I’ve always been curious to know what non-architects think of Zumthor. He is kind of an ‘Architects Architect’ in this profession (for good reason).