Build 2016 Women in Build Awards 26 teven Holl Architects supports the preservation and restoration of the natural landscape and wilderness, as well as designing dense, sustainable urban architecture. Dimitra talked us through one of their latest projects, the Ex of IN House in Rhinebeck. “On 28 acres of forested rock outcropping, the site, which has been named the ‘T2 reserve’, has been established as an experimental topological landscape. Slated to be a subdivision with five suburban house plots, the site was formed into one natural, preserved landscape. As a compressed form of 918 square feet, on a site as large as this, the house serves as an alternative to suburban houses that ‘sprawl in the landscape’. Instead, the Ex of IN is a house of compression, intended as a catalyst of volumetric inner space. “The house was made almost entirely from raw materials by the builders, crafting a solid mahogany window and door frames, a mahogany stair and birch plywood walls. There is no use of sheetrock, and the spherical intersection space was crafted in curved, thin wood layers. All natural oiled wood and plywood interior finishes are part of the arte povera materiality and economy of this place of wabi-sabi. Instead of using fossil fuels or grid power, the house is heated geothermally and uses solar energy. Thin film SoloPower photovoltaic cells are connected to a Sonnen battery energy storage system, allows the house to be energy independent, and all of the light fixtures are 3D printed in PLA cornstarch-based bioplastic, with all glass and wood used in the build sourced locally. “With each new project, the firm explores new ways to integrate an organizing idea with the programmatic and functional essence of a building. Rather than imposing a style upon different sites and climates, or pursued irrespective of program, the unique character of a program and a site becomes the starting point for any architectural idea.” Steven Holl Architects has four decades’ worth of experience, recognized by some of the industry’s most prestigious awards and prizes. “Each project uniquely originates from Steven Holl’s watercolours; as a form of thought and visualization, we merge art and architecture, providing a solid base that unites the design team and clients and helps to realise their vision. We are recognized for our ability to shape space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to catalyse the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design at multiple scales, from minimal dwellings, to university works, to new hybrid models of urbanism. Constant research, pin-ups and design critique by peers, help anchor each work in its specific site and circumstance, and obtain a deeper beginning in the experience of time, space, light and materials. “While the global market benefits the exchange of ideas, material innovation and construction efficiency, we feel challenged to rethink the causes and effects of the privatization of our cities and improve the quality of urban life. We are proud of having the Hunters point community library under construction in New York, as well as various other public projects.” Steven Holl Architects emphasizes material experimentation, sustainable building and site development as fundamental to Associate Architect of the Year 2016 - New York Steven Holl Architects is an innovative architecture and urban design office, working globally as one office from two locations, New York City and Beijing. With their 40-person team, Steven Holl Architects has realized architectural works in the US, Europe and Asia, and has extensive experience in the arts sector, including museum, gallery and exhibition design, campus and educational facilities and residential work. We invited Dimitra Tsachrelia to talk us through the firm and how it has come to achieve its current success. S Steven Holl Architects WB16004 Contact Details Company: Steven Holl Architects Name: Dimitra Tsachrelia Email:
[email protected] Web Address: www.stevenholl.com Address: 450 West 31st Street, 11 floor, NY, New York, 10001 Telephone: 212 629 7262