Stretto House Steven Holl Architects

The Stretto House, built near Dallas, Texas, in 1992, exemplifies the poetic nature of his architecture, as well as his method of following an initial concept to its fullest realization. The need for protection from the scorching Texas sun led the architect to explore the ideas of shadow and overlap; the bold overlapping stretto between heavy percussion and light strings in Bela Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste proved fertile for the form and construction of the residence. Like Bartok's score, the house has four sections, each consisting of heavy concrete-block "spatial dams" with light metal-roofed "aqueous space" flowing between. Orthogonal floors pull one space through to the next, while curvilinear roofs stretch space over the walls. Essential to the sequential balance are rich details and carefully selected materials, including glass slumped or cast in fluid shapes and liquid terrazzo.