Peter Zumthor - 2009 Pritzker Prize Winner

Peter Zumthor - 2009 Pritzker Architecture Prize Winner

In honor of Peter Zumthor's award of the Pritzker Architecture Prize this year, we grabbed this extensive slide show of Flickr photos from Zumthor's studios and from fans around the world who have sought out and photographed his work. "His architecture expresses respect for the primacy of the site, the legacy of a local culture, and the invaluable lessons of architectural history," commented the judges.

Washington Post, architecture and design critic, Phillip Kennicott, wrote of Zumthor, "He is one of the least flashy of architects ever honored by the Pritzker jury. Zumthor's work, much of it built in Switzerland, is remarkable for its visual simplicity, its reliance on pure and sensuous materials, including wood and local stones, and for its careful integration into the natural or urban landscape."

Frances Anderton, noted design and architectural critic, offered this: "many (have) argued that an ideal architecture for our times would fuse environmental and social responsibility with wondrous design. I would say that Zumthor's work, especially the Vals spa -- built for the well-being of local villagers as well as visitors at the adjoining hotel; made largely with local materials utilizing local craft; and at once very simple and utterly luxurious -- exquisitely embodies that convergence."

For 30 years, Zumthor has worked in the remote Swiss mountain village of Haldenstein.

Thermal Baths in Vals, Switzerland