Peter Zumthor (Basel, April 26, 1943) is a Swiss architect. He received the Pritzker Prize in 2009.[1] Among his main works are the Vals Baths and the Bregenz Art Museum.

He trained as a cabinetmaker before moving to architecture, studying at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel and the Pratt Institute in New York. He is a cabinetmaker, designer and architect. In 1979 he settled in the Swiss region of Graubünden.

Zumthor is characterized by taking his time when designing and choosing his projects with an artistic purpose over an economic one; accept a project only out of affinity.

In his works you can see a timelessness, rigorous craftsmanship, highlighting the wood of which he has extensive knowledge as a cabinetmaker, a strong spatial definition and extensive management of the combination of light and darkness. This way of projecting is due to phenomenological architecture that comes from a philosophical component based on perceptions, emotions, consciousness and experiences, one of its main functions being to create spaces and environments that stimulate the senses.

Peter Zumthor was the winner of the recovery competition for the Diocesan Museum of Kolumba, in Cologne; Its building completely surrounds the ruins of the church and even merges with them; In addition, it uses the upper level and a side wing to house the exhibition areas, where medieval works are mixed with contemporary ones.

He received the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2009 and the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2013. He worked as a construction consultant at the Department of Monument Conservation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and an analyst of historic towns. In 1979 he created his own office in Haldestein. He is a professor at the Accademia di Architettura dell'Università della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio (Switzerland) and has been a visiting professor at various universities around the world.[2]​.

Furthermore, the architect approached phenomenological architecture in the 1950s and, from then on, interest grew, even more so with the presence of prominent architects such as Steven Holl, Peter Zumthor and Juhani Pallasmaa. His works emphasize resources that cause strong sensory impressions, such as lights, shadows, water and textures that impact and excite.