Zumthor believes that the core of a good design is not only the building itself, but also the surrounding of the building. He often tries to conserve history and culture of the area where the building is set up, putting emphasis on bridging the old and new instead of disrupting the history of the site. This is important as this way of approaching the site acts as a basis of the landmark but at the same time preserve the culture and values of the area it is built-in. 

 

Zumthor is also a master of capturing the “spirit” and “feeling” of the space in his designs, which can be captured using “silence”. 

 

Silence to Zumthor is not what we feel when there is minimal noises and background noise, but instead it is the sound of the person’s mental silence. At its core, mental silence is a state where the person is able to concentrate and produce good work well under the circumstances. One example is in the city, where there is an amalgamation of sounds and noises that creates an ocean of sounds which is protective in nature due to its neutralizing effect. 

 

Apart from the in depth research of the site, the mental headspace of the user when in the space is important in replicating the “spirit” or “feeling”, relating back to the original site. This creates a sense of familiarity to the user and goes hand in hand with the existing surroundings of the building. 

When I am designing, the site history is the first and most crucial thing in the preliminary stages. Approaching the site with a tabula rasa is essential to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding emotionally to the history of the site. When looking at Peter Zumthor’s work, his designs are very evocative and have a strong root in the site's history. One very good example is the Protective Housing for Roman Excavations.