Steven Holl Architect’s Washington D.C project is officially opened on the 16th of September

Steven Holl Architects, in collaboration with the Swiss firm Rüssli Architects, won the anonymous competition over ten other Swiss-American architectural partnerships in 2001. The design was unanimously selected for its central concept of moving diagonally through space. The building is sited on a hill with a direct view to the Washington Monument in the distance. From the entrance hall, one can see diagonally through the building to the terrace and from the terrace on to the Monument. The materiality of the residence is crucial to the design. The building’s charcoal colour concrete and sand-blasted translucent structural glass planks were inspired by the black rocks and white snow of the Swiss Alps. It is estimated that the residence will hold approximately 400 working events and host over 3000 guests annually when it opens next week. SM