SCI-Arc history

In 1979 he established a practice in Haldenstein, Switzerland.

In his early Swiss commissions, such as the St Benedict Chapel (1988) in Sumvitg, Zumthor established his respect for site and materials.

A commission to design the Therme Vals (1996) in Vals, Switzerland, presented Zumthor with a prime opportunity to create a series of varied spatial experiences.

For example, in the Kunsthaus (1997), an art museum in Bregenz, Austria, Zumthor created an airy glass cube that generates a translucent gray light.

Díaz Alonso has been a faculty member at SCI-Arc since 2001.

These qualities were noted when he was awarded the 2009 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

He is known for championing the school's push toward a digital future and, prior to his appointment as Director, has served as the school's Graduate Programs Chair since 2010.

On a different Norwegian path, Zumthor previously collaborated with artist Louise Bourgeois to create the Steilneset Memorial (2011), a monument in Vardø dedicated to those accused of witchcraft in the 17th century.

EDGE, Center for Advanced Studies in Architecture is announced, with four postgraduate degrees launching in September 2016.

Zumthor’s last project from the decade was Secular Retreat (2019), a “villa for the 21st century” on the Devon Moors in England.