Steven Holl

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 in 1977 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 influential 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 including the Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle, Washington (1997); the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland (1998); Simmons Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts (2002); the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri (2007); the Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, China (2009), the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art in Herning, Denmark (2009); the Linked Hybrid mixed-use complex in Beijing, China (2009); Cité de l’Océan et du Surf in Biarritz, France (2011); Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland (2014); the University of Iowa, Visual Arts Building in Iowa City, Iowa (2016); the Ex of IN House in Rhinebeck, New York (2016); the Lewis Arts complex at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey (2017); Maggie’s Centre Barts in London, United Kingdom (2017); the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia (2018); and the Glassell School of Art for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in Houston, Texas (2018).

Currently under construction is the Hunters Point Community Library in Queens, New York (opening 2018); the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Expansion in Washington DC (opening 2019); the Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (opening 2020); Rubenstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (opening 2019), and the Winter Visual Arts Center at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (opening 2020).

Recently, Steven Holl Architects was commissioned to complete a new Central Library and Masterplan for the Miracle for Africa Foundation in Lilongwe, Malawi; the new Geneva Operational Center for Médecins Sans Frontières; a new residential project in the Tushino district of Moscow, Russia; and an art collectors museum and hotel in Angers, France.

Steven Holl has been recognized with architecture’s most prestigious awards and prizes. Notably, Steven Holl received the 2016 VELUX Daylight Award in Architecture, the 2014 Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award for Architecture, the 2012 AIA Gold Medal, the 2010 RIBA Jencks Award, and the first ever Arts Award of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards in 2009. 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.