Steven Holl Architects Collects European Accolades

Principal Steven Holl is praised for his collective body of work.

Chrysanthe Tenentes -- Interior Design, 12/7/2006

New York-based Steven Holl Architects recently earned two overseas honors. For a hotel and spa in an Austrian winery, the firm was awarded a Best Hotel Architecture Design Award (New Build) through the juried European Hotel Design Awards program. Plus, founder Steven Holl has earned an honorary degree from a Hungarian university

The Hotel & Spa for Loisium is part of the Loisium winery in Langenlois, Austria. The design team drew inspiration for the hotel and spa's orthogonal design from the geometry below--the building sits on a underground wine vault system, traversed by 900-year-old stone passages. The complex also feature a wine-themed restaurant, lobby, bar, cigar lounge, and conference facilities. Two upper floors house 82 guest rooms.

"The hotel blends in perfectly with its surrounding landscape," the jury noted. "Its innovative use of materials reflects both the location and raison d'etre."

The European Hotel Design Awards are currently in their ninth year. A complete list of winners is available here.

Holl's honorary degree comes from Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design Budapest. Founded in 1880 as the Royal National School of Arts, the school has bestowed the honor to an esteemed list of professionals including designer Eva Zeisel. The honor as a nod to the architect's collective body of work, which includes the University of Iowa School of Art & Art History and the Swiss Residence in Washington, D.C., home to the Swiss Ambassador to the United Nations.

With offices in New York and Beijing, Steven Holl Architects currently employs a staff of 49.