Nato nel 1947 a Bremerton, Washington, Steven Holl si laurea all’Università di
Washington e prosegue i suoi studi in architettura a Roma, nel 1976 entra a far
parte dell’Architectural Association di Londra e costituisce lo studio Steven
Holl Architects a New York.Considerato uno dei più importanti architetti d'America, è riconosciuto per la sua capacità di fondere lo spazio e la luce con grande sensibilità contestuale. Si è specializzato nell’integrare senza soluzione di continuità nuovi progetti in contesti di particolare rilievo storico e culturale.
Steven Holl ha realizzato progetti culturali, cittadini e residenziali, sia negli Stati Uniti che a livello internazionale. Il suo notevole lavoro comprende il Kiasma Museo d'Arte Contemporanea a Helsinki, Finlandia (1998), gli Uffici Sarphatistraat, Amsterdam (2000) e la Cappella di Sant'Ignazio, Seattle, Washington (1997). Più di recente ha completato la Cité de l'Océan et du Surf a Biarritz, Francia (2011), il grattacielo orizzontale a Shenzhen, Cina (2009), il Knut Hamsun Center di Hamarøy, Norvegia (2009), il Museo di Arte Contemporanea di Herning, Danimarca (2009) e il Linked Hybrid di Pechino, Cina (2009), definito il miglior edificio alto del 2010 da parte del Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
Steven Holl was born in 1947 in Bremerton, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington and pursued architecture studies in Rome in 1970. In 1976, he joined the Architectural Association in London and established STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS in New York City. As founder and principal of Steven Holl Architects, Steven Holl is the designer of all projects ongoing in the office. Considered one of America’s most important architects, he is recognized for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design. He specializes in seamlessly integrating new projects into contexts with particular cultural and historic importance.
Steven Holl has realized cultural, civic, academic and residential projects both in the United States and internationally. Notable work includes the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland (1998), Sarphatistraat Offices, Amsterdam (2000) and Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle, Washington (1997). Most recently completed are Cité de l’Océan et du Surf in Biarritz, France (2011), the Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, China (2009), the Knut Hamsun Center in Hamarøy, Norway (2009), the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art in Herning, Denmark (2009), and the Linked Hybrid mixed-use complex in Beijing, China (2009), named Best Tall Building of 2010 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). In June 2007 the much celebrated addition to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri opened to the public. Referring to the building as breathtaking New York Times architecture critic, Nicolai Ourossoff wrote: “By subtly interweaving his building with the museum’s historic fabric and the surrounding landscape, he has produced a work of haunting power. It’s an approach that should be studied by anyone who sets out to design a museum from this point forward.” (The New York Times, June 6th 2007). In the New Yorker, critic Paul Goldberger stated: “The building is not just Holl’s finest by far, but also one of the best of the last generation. Holl has produced as striking and inventive a piece of architectural form and yet it is a serene and exhilarating place in which to view art” (New Yorker, April 30th 2007).
Recently the office has won a number of international design competitions including the new design for the Houston Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, USA), new design for the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, USA), the new Visual Arts Building at the University of Iowa (Iowa City, USA), and the new Seona Reid Building for the Glasgow School of Art (Glasgow, UK).
Steven Holl has been recognized with architecture’s most prestigious awards and prizes.
In 2014, Steven Holl received the Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award for Architecture, the 2012 AIA Gold Medal, the RIBA 2010 Jencks Award, and the first ever Arts Award of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards (2009). In 2011, the Horizontal Skyscraper received an AIA National Honor Award, and in 2010 the Knut Hamsun Center and the Horizontal Skyscraper were given an AIA New York Honor Award, and the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art won a RIBA Award. In 2006 Steven Holl received honorary degrees from Seattle University and Moholy-Nagy University in Budapest.
Mr. Holl is a tenured Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning. He has also taught at the University of Washington, the Pratt Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania. Steven has lectured and exhibited widely and has published numerous texts.