Comments on: SWISS RESIDENCE by Steven Holl

By: Inhabitat » STEVEN HOLLS’S HERNING CENTER OF THE ARTS

Inhabitat » STEVEN HOLLS’S HERNING CENTER OF THE ARTS — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:49:29 +0000

[...] may think that we have a small obsession with Steven Holl (see here, here, here, here, here and here), but it’s hard to not be excited whenever a new Holl design surfaces. His [...]

By: Timo

Timo — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 00:00:54 +0000

masterful in many ways, however, it is expensive, rather palatial for a part-time residence, and frankly the semi-opaque wall/ window cladding would drive me crazy.
that being said, i think that it is beautiful and, as elaborated by other commentators, the harmony and balance of space, color, light, and material is nothing short of exceptional.
alas, this is no solution to housing humanity; but for the most well off 0,5% it might be just the thing.

By: ProgGrrl

ProgGrrl — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:26:01 +0000

This is great…when this house is open, and the Ambassador starts having various US movers & shakers over to visit, more and more people will give thought to LEED and other building standards.

Wonderful news.

By: Carl

Carl — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:55:14 +0000

Steven Holl’s genius is proven once again. Yes, the goal is a greener set of building that house the rest of the world. But, I pose this question… “What happens when there are two equally eco-friendly designs but the aesthetics are different, is it then left to what we ‘like’?” Can there be a moment when technology & buildings produce more energy than necessary, are more efficient then applicable, and we are merely left with aesthetic?

By: Richie

Richie — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:22:18 +0000

A true masterpeice !

As far as ‘austere’ goes… lets play a mindgame. Imagine it in a different, more lively, colorscheme… or with different, ‘warmer’, exterior treatments on the darker surfaces. Voila ! It no longer seems ‘austere’ that way. Do you agree ? So maybe the client’s approved colorsheme is what is austere… not the design itself ?

The thing to ‘see’ here, are the wonderful interior volumes, created by the dimension and proportion of this design. Just from viewing these few photos, one can get a sense of how calm, serene and pleasing it would be to inhabit these spaces. This design is a classic in much the same vein that Luis Barragan’s creations are. It’s deceptively simple and profoundly beautiful in a mysterious way — due to the proportional elements of it’s design. It’s all about ‘balance’. It’s about the thickness of the walls in relationship to the height of the interior and exterior, the window opening dimensions relative to the height & width of the walls, the combination of forms intertwined and melded into other forms and more. The colorscheme and exterior treatment are secondary, not primary, just like the clothes we wear only ‘dress up’ the fundameental. This house, like Barragn’s works, breaks the design down to it’s simplest statement. There is nothing extraneous. It’s just beauty… pure and simple.

By: Marc Fink

Marc Fink — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:34:53 +0000

The distinctive sandblasted channel glass at the new Swiss Embassy residence was provided by Bendheim Wall Systems. The LINIT glass installed has a number of characteristics unique to channel glass from the Lamberts factory: 1) Solar texture – fine mesh pattern producing a veiled effect 2)low iron glass – reduces the greenish tint, particularly in the flanges and edges of the channels 3) factory tempered, SGCC certified, and 100% heat soak tested – an added degree of safety determined at the source, verified by an independent third party. BWS is proud to have also supplied the channel glass for Steven Holl’s projects at Higgins Hall/Pratt Institute and the Bloch Building/Nelson-Atkins Museum. Our knowledgeable team looks forward to your questions and we will assist you in creating an award-winning project, such as those seen on our web site. For more information on how you can create eye-catching images for sophisticated exterior and interior projects, call Marc Fink at 800-221-7379 X223.

By: Jill

Jill — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 15:11:59 +0000

I love the translucent glowing walls on the south facade – I think this building is gorgeous, and really quite ethereal – at least in terms of the windows/translucent siding. Go Steven Holl!