Revealed: Steven Holl's world of watercolours
– Steven Holl
Steven Holl has revealed to CLADglobal the role that watercolour painting plays in his design process; offering a rare glimpse of some of the artwork he has created over his five-decade-long career.
In a lengthy interview, the architect said he always starts work on new building projects the same way: “Me, alone, my little watercolour pad in front of me, at five thirty in the morning, trying to come up with some concepts.”
He described the process as “always a struggle and a mystery”, with his team helping him transform his sometimes abstract ideas on paper into detailed, large-scale models, which are then gradually brought to reality.
Holl's interest in art and the creative process has led to a particular fascination with arts buildings, which he described as “the most important programme you can do as an architect.” His most acclaimed completed projects include the semi-translucent Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art, the curving Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki and the interconnected glowing volumes of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, while he recently completed work on the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH).
“I feel, in a certain sense, that religion and philosophy cannot provide the meaning that we need in our lives today, whereas art can give us a window into our human needs,” he told CLADglobal. “The art museum has become a social condenser, a place of gathering, a kind of 21st-century cathedral.”
Our full interview with Steven Holl features in the most recent issue of CLADmag, and can be read here.
Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston
Completed earlier this month, this L-shaped building features a sloping, walkable roofline that runs the length of the structure and connects a wide-stepped amphitheatre at its base and a roof garden above.
The Institute of Contemporary Art Virginia
Sited at the edge of the Virginia Commonwealth University campus in Richmond, Virginia, the newly-completed Institute for Contemporary Art links the University with the surrounding community. With ian inviting double-fronted forum opening to a serene sculpture garden, the 41,000sq ft (3,800sq m) building "provides spatial energy for the most important cutting-edge contemporary art exhibits."
Horizontal Skyscraper – Vanke Center Shenzhen
Hovering over a tropical garden, this ‘horizontal skyscraper’ – as long as the Empire State Building is tall – unites office spaces, apartments and a hotel. A conference centre, spa and parking are located under the large green, public landscape. The project was completed in 2009.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City
Completed in 2007, this museum extension was described by The New York TImes as “a work of haunting power.” Holl added a new building that extends along the eastern edge of the museum campus, and is distinguished by five glass lenses, traversing from the existing building through the Sculpture Park to form new spaces and angles of vision.
Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art Helsink
The concept of Kiasma, which opened in 1998, involves the building's mass intertwining with the geometry of the city and landscape which are reflected in the shape of the building. Inside, the general character of the rooms, which are almost rectangular with one wall curved, "allows for a silent yet dramatic backdrop for the exhibition of contemporary art."
Malawi Library
This 66,000sq ft (6,100sq m) institution, currently under construction, is being funded and developed by The Miracle for Africa Foundation to provide social and study spaces in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. The building, which will be created using local stone, bamboo and concrete, will have a wave-like roof fitted with photovoltaic solar panels that power the whole net-zero complex
Tuschimo
Holl recently won an international design competition to create this 2 million sq ft (200,000sq m) mixed-use district on a former paratrooper airfield in Moscow. The site, situated near the Moscow River, was for the greater part of the 20th century home to a flying and parachuting school and acted as an aviation parade ground. To reference its history, the winning design places the different amenities in separate volumes, described as a new building typology called ‘Parachute Hybrids’. According to Holl, “these [Parachute Hybrids] combine residential bar and slab structures with supplemental programming suspended in sections above, like parachutes frozen in the sky”. Large circular openings in the towers’ facades give a defining geometric character and will be filled with the health and social spaces.
Shanghai Cofco Cultural & Health Center - Shanghai
The design concept for this two-building complex is described by the studio as a merging of “clouds and time,” in reference to philosopher Karl Popper’s 1965 lecture on the evolutionary model of free will, which was titled “Of Clouds and Clocks.” The buildings will be set in a public landscape, organised in large clock-like circles forming a central public space. A quarter circle pool and fountain will provide rainwater recycling for the complex.
All images courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
Steven Holl watercolours Glassell School of Art Institute of Contemporary Art Virginia Vanke Center Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kiasma MuseumSteven Holl completes Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston
Steven Holl blames 'corruption in power' for construction industry's failure to embrace renewable energy in hard-hitting interview
Medieval fortress and Apocalypse Tapestry inspire Steven Holl's museum and hotel design for Angers
'Parachutes frozen in the sky': Historic airfield inspires Steven Holl's mixed-use Moscow district
Steven Holl's cloud-inspired Houston art gallery breaks ground
Clocks and clouds inspire Steven Holl's Shanghai culture and health centre
Steven Holl returns with sculptural arts complex in Iowa
FEATURE: Interview – Steven Holl
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
