Posted by Harry
Books | 27 May 07 | Comments (0) | Stumble
House: Black Swan Theory by Steven Holl comprises a selection of 15 of Holl’s site-specific houses that range from a 23,000 sq.ft. ambassadorial residence to an 80 sq.ft. lakeside artist’s studio. The idea of an architectural ‘black swan theory’ is based on looking at design needs from a specific-to-universal point of view built on dissimilarity and variation, as opposed to the usual opposite approach. Each of these homes has a completely different focus: one is based on a musical analogy that rises from Bartók stretti, another takes inspiration from Moby Dick, while another yet is the resurrection of an eighteenth century nail factory. Natural light and the surrounding landscape play, of course, a primordial part in the development of these houses. The end result is the house as part of a relationship or a dynamic, instead of being a mere object. A simply beautiful little book. Paperback, 176 pages, well illustrated, $30.40 at Amazon.
