Steven Holl Quotes

One of the stated goals of the postmodern movement in architecture was a greater sensitivity to the people who live in or use newly designed buildings.

Before 2000, everything was about being contextual, and buildings were supposed to be good citizens.

I work a little bit like a sculptor. When I start, my first idea for a building is with the material. I believe architecture is about that. It's not about paper, it's not about forms. It's about space and material.

Architecture is basically the design of interiors, the art of organizing interior space.

Early in my career, I tried to bring an artistic feeling to architecture. That's really the intent and impression of what I think about: context, space, shapes, and landscape.

The responsibility of an architect is to create a sense of order, a sense of place, a sense of relationship.

Architecture theory is very interesting.

The concept of architecture as analogous to landscape is something that has interested me for a long time.

It is not an individual act, architecture. You have to consider your client. Only out of that can you produce great architecture. You cannot work in the abstract

Space, space: architects always talk about space! But creating a space is not automatically doing architecture. With the same space, you can make a masterpiece or cause a disaster.

When people condemn me for designing iconic buildings in cities and not having an idea what a city is, they haven't done their homework. I started in urban design and city planning. It's just that when I got out of school there wasn't much of a market for that. There still isn't.

I want to do interiors, furniture. I want to do architecture, although I'm not an architect. Nor am I a trained interior designer.

The practice of architecture is the most delightful of all pursuits. Also, next to agriculture, it is the most necessary to man. One must eat, one must have shelter. Next to religious worship itself, it is the spiritual handmaiden of our deepest convictions.

in architecture, mediocrity is more glaringly obvious than in other lines - because there's a huge, physical object such as a building to demonstrate it.

We used to build temples, and museums are about as close as secular society dares to go in facing up to the idea that a good building can change your life (and a bad one ruin it).

Let's put it this way: One can be happy or unhappy in a building. But some buildings make us more depressed than others.

Architecture falls between art and airports. It's pragmatic-it helps you get from point A to point B. But it also works as art. It makes you think twice. It inspires you. It brings you back to yourself.

A proper building grows naturally, logically, and poetically out of all its conditions.

Architecture is not about form

The architect is not only the director, but he is the composer. And, as a composer, the architect brings a sense of creativity to each building.

For architecture, nature provides only indications and analogies, not models to imitate.

It's going to sound strange probably. But I really like Frank Gehry's works.

Setting ... is accident. Either a building is part of a place, or it is not. Once that kinship is there, time will only make it stronger.

Frank Gehry for instance likes to imagine his buildings as sculptures. I like to imagine my sculptures as architectural.