Breathing Space. The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings. Book launch with Tim Altenhof and Louisa Hutton (Sauerbruch Hutton)

*Breathing Space* is a wide-ranging analysis of what architect and historian Tim Altenhof calls “respiratory modernism.” The book explores the physiology of breathing and its reciprocal relationship to bodies and buildings, both of which share a common atmosphere. Because breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and cannot be willfully overridden, it takes place unconsciously and involuntarily—most of the time. However, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, attitudes toward breathing changed significantly. Breathing became a widely studied cultural and physiological phenomenon and served as the basis for techniques and physical practices that heightened awareness of the lungs. New understandings of air pollution and disease sparked a widespread preoccupation with ventilation, influencing architecture in countless ways. Close readings of built structures reveal how the science of breathing was incorporated into architecture, whether in the design of factories, residences, or medical facilities. The lungs form a major part of the respiratory system and, unlike any other organ, connect the living body directly to its surroundings. Yet the role of the lungs also poses a topological problem: by engaging in atmospheric exchange, they dissolve the boundary between inside and outside, and despite being an internal organ, they maintain a permanent and living connection to the external world. This ambiguity and permeability constitute the spatial dimension of breathing.

Tim Altenhof is an architect and senior scientist in the Department of Architectural Theory and History at the University of Innsbruck.

Louisa Hutton is an architect and, together with Matthias Sauerbruch, the founding partner of Sauerbruch Hutton, an architecture studio based in Berlin that operates internationally. 

Breathing Space. The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings
Tim Altenhof 
Zone Books 2026

*Breathing Space* is a wide-ranging analysis of what architect and historian Tim Altenhof calls “respiratory modernism.” The book explores the physiology of breathing and its reciprocal relationship to bodies and buildings, both of which share a common atmosphere. Because breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and cannot be willfully overridden, it takes place unconsciously and involuntarily—most of the time. However, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, attitudes toward breathing changed significantly. Breathing became a widely investigated cultural and physiological phenomenon and served as the basis for techniques and bodily practices that heightened awareness of the lungs. New understandings of air pollution and disease sparked a widespread preoccupation with ventilation, influencing architecture in countless ways. Close readings of built structures reveal how the science of breathing was incorporated into architecture, whether in the design of factories, residences, or medical facilities. The lungs form a major part of the respiratory system and, like no other organ, directly connect the living body to its surroundings. Yet the role of the lungs also poses a topological problem: by facilitating atmospheric exchange, they dissolve the division between inside and outside, and despite being an internal organ, they maintain a permanent and living connection to the external world. This ambiguity and permeability constitute the spatial dimension of breathing.

Tim Altenhof is an architect and senior scientist in the Department of Architectural Theory and History at the University of Innsbruck.

Louisa Hutton is an architect and, together with Matthias Sauerbruch, the founding partner of Sauerbruch Hutton, an architecture studio based in Berlin that operates internationally. 


Breathing Space. The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings
Tim Altenhof 
Zone Books 2026