Monthly Archives: November 2015

Architecture

Peter Zumthor – an appealing holistic approach

Peter Zumthor from Ermes Ponti bespoke interiors blog.
A few years ago Peter Zumthor was awarded a Golden Medal by RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects (Britain’s most prestigious prize for architecture).

By chance, I found on the Internet  the video of the lecture he gave in London for this occasion. I was so impressed by the similarities between his approach to architecture and ours that I cannot help talking about it… but first let me share the video of his speech.

The background
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Peter Zumthor is the son of a cabinetmaker – like Paolo Ponti- and this could be the reason why both of them are so pragmatic and love materials rather than pure form. They are both architects by training and profession,  but in their blood there is still something about craftsmanship. Zumthor admits not being so concerned about Beauty (I mean the abstract architectural Beauty), but his work is more about “creating a space that is  just right for his purpose”. This has always been our first aim at PoddaPonti Architetti. Shall we say that function always comes first and beauty follows? (The rules of Vitruvius is all about this: Utilitas/Function + Firmitas/Permanence  = Venustas/ beauty).
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 peter zumthor on ermesponti blog
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The project.
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One of the dreams of Zumthor is to design “a house without a form”. He set up a project starting from the site and the brief. That’s exactly what we do at Poddaponti Architetti and at Ermesponti. Each project is always site-specific and custom-designed according to the exact needs of the client (we never forget the lesson of “Genius Loci”).
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Zumthor work on ermesponti blog
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The process.
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Zumthor defines his approach to the whole project as a “holistic process”– great expression!  We are not so keen on oriental language, but the concept we have in mind is exactly the same.works by peter zumthorAccording  to our cultural legacy,  we rather prefer to call it “end-to-end process”. In fact the cultural background of this approach is the Italian Bottega or handicraft workshop of the Renaissance and the theory of architecture described by Leon Battista Alberti, which is still unrivalled nowadays. ( Even the most famous  entrepreneur of today, Steve Jobs,  set up Apple using these ideas)
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peter zumthor workThe client.
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He declares:
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…if someone wants a Zumthor building, that’s not my client! If someone wants a well-made building, that’s my client!
He also adds:
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I am not a brand
We haven’t  the privilege of Peter Zumthor who can choose and sometimes refuse clients, but we are lucky enough because our clients choose Ermesponti for the same reason of top quality. If they want a custom-designed, custom-made, personalized interior, they call us!
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The aim.peter zumthor works on ermesponti blog
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The title of the lecture was ” Presence in Architecture”  and this theme seems to concern Peter Zumthor the most. We agree with him. We believe that architecture is about creating “a sense of space”, of interior space, which is able to make an immediate impression on people who walk there. Of course we do not have the same tasks and the same big project, but, like him, we always search for this “presence” in our small project.  We should call it the fifth dimension, He talks about the aim of experiencing real architecture which is like the experience of real music. There is a historic relationship between harmony in these two subjects. We totally agree.
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peter zumthor work: therme valsIn the end he compared ‘presence in architecture’ with the one we have in a pure landscape. He concluded the lecture with these last words:
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You know what I mean. You have a feeling. You are in the world, you are part of the world and there is something bigger than you

That’s a good point for creative people! We create pieces of architecture, art or music, but not the whole world! We invent using our hands and brain and the legacy of the past. With a sense of humility we should say…
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We are all little beings!
peter zumthor on ermesponti bespoke interiors blog
Other

The Idea of Living Architecture for Ermesponti Bespoke Interiors

We’ve recently come across the initiative “Living Architecture – Holidays in Modern Architecture“, renting an archistar-designed home to enjoy the experience of staying in a place designed by a famous architect. We’d like to consider this starting from a different point of view. Alain De Botton published a new book  a few years ago “The Architecture of Happiness” (please note that the famous philosopher is one of the founders of Living Architecture). De Botton’s views express the idea that the quality of the architecture we live in every day  influences the quality of our lives. This is the essence of the book.

living architecture for ermesponti bespoke interiors

This notion applies to living  from a global perspective, which of course goes beyond the “vacation” you can take for a limited period of time in a place that doesn’t belong to you, and to which you don’t belong.  From here we can move straight to the opposite approach  of “design-by vs designed-for”. There  is a way of conceiving theDe-Botton-Architecture-Happiness-ermesponti quality of interiors not as something guaranteed by a famous signature, but rather as a true expression of the personality of the person who lives there.

Historically speaking, architecture is something anonymous, which derives its sense and function from everyday use by someone it is designed for.

At Ermesponti bespoke interiors, we strongly believe in design-specific projects like those of Living Architecture, but most of all we are focused on the brief of the client. Our projects are always tailored to the client ‘s exact needs. Our aim is always a custom-designed project.

Every project must reflect  100% the personality of the customer, and does so through the architect’s design  and the making by the craftsman.  Our team work together- from first scratch to turnkey delivery – throughout the whole process so that we can guarantee the excellence of the results. In this way, the architect “brings out” of the customer his own dream-house, and makes it become true. Leon Battista Alberti – author of what is considered the Bible of Architecture – used to say: “The architect is the mother of the building, but the customer is its father”.

We very much appreciate the idea of “Living Architecture” as a one-shot experience of an archistar’s architecture.  Possibly  you should consider taking the next step and having more than a short vacation in someone else’s home. You could definitely  try the Ermesponti experience and live it in a more permanent way. For example, you can have your own home redesigned with a 100% custom-destined project by Ermesponti bespoke interiors and enjoy a lifelong architectural experience. You can’t imagine how your quality of life could be changed for the better!