Stretto: the close overlapping of two parts or voices, the second one entering before the first has completed its statement of the subject (Farlex n.d).
The phenomenon of taking aspects of music and creating architecture from it is a fascinating process; a process employed by Steven Holl in the design of the Stretto House. The stretto, a term used in music describing the overlapping of sounds, could not be more visually represented than it has been in the Stretto House. The clients, who are avid art collectors, let the architect reign free in his design, letting him decide what was to be his inspiration. Upon visiting the site Holl noticed the spring fed pond and 4 damns. He asked his student if he knew any musical pieces which reflected the flowing of water, the response was Bela Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and this is what was to be the main inspiration for the design (Arnardóttir & Sánchez Merina n.d).
The house responds to its surrounding environment by projecting the character and qualities of the spring-fed ponds and man-made damns. Spatial damns have been created (Capanna 2009). The four heavy, rectangular structures represent the four damns and the light, interconnecting roof and walls reflect the light and constant flow of the stream (Holl 1996). At the same time, Holl integrates the inspiration from the surrounding environment with the inspiration from Bartok’s musical composition.
Bela Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta consists of 4 movements. It has a distinct division of heavy (percussion) and light (strings) sounds. These sounds have been made visual by creating two opposing forms in the house. This is achieved by the structural co-presence of alternating heavy and light materials. The contrast in forms is most evident in plan and section. In plan we see the heavy, rectilinear shapes dominating and in section the flow of curvaceous structure can be seen intertwining through the heavy structures. The guest house plays a role in this theme as well. During the second movement of Bartok’s piece the theme is inversed. This is reflected in the guest house, as the role of heavy and light have been reversed. Walls are light and curvilinear whereas the roof is heavy and orthogonal. (Holl 1996).
The house travels on the same journey as the piece does. As the piece increases in intensity so does the house in the central area. It is here where Holl incorporates the golden ratio to his design just as Bartok did in his piece. The positioning of the concrete rectangles occurs simultaneously with the beat. The golden ratio is also applied to the solids and voids of the facade and the windows in the glass wall. As the celesta is introduced in the piece it decreases in intensity and this is where Bartok explored the golden ratio. The piece then increases in intensity in the final movement and this is where we discover the intent of the flooded room. The flooded room reflects the theme of the sretto in its whole just as the final movement does in the song. This is where the fugue (a musical form in which a theme is first stated, then repeated and varied with accompanying contrapuntal lines) is visually represented. At this point the theme in the piece and house, which is overlapped and repeated with increases and decreases of intensity, comes to a conclusion. (Capanna 2009).
The house is on a slope. The entry is located at the top and the flow and distribution of space flows down the slight slope, to the flooded room. Everything about the organisation of internal space pushes the visitor down the slope whilst experiencing the light, open ground floor. Access to the second floor is far more restricted (Barna 1992). This is intentional as a downward flow of special experiences is achieved, almost liquid in form, responding to the flow of the stream on site. Service areas have been placed in the heavy rectangle sections while the in-between, downward flow of spaces consists mostly of served areas. Private spaces, such as the bedroom have been located on the second floor. This has been as the second floor is less accessible. We can see how Holl has organised spaces in accordance with the spring fed creek and damns.
The primary materials used are:
- Limestone aggregate concrete block
- Aluminium panels
- Lead copper and rubber membrane roofs
- Exposed concrete ceilings
- White and pigmented plaster walls
- Coloured concrete
- Terrazzo floors
(Barna 1992)
The high level of thought and exploration of Bela Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta which has been applied by Holl in the design of the Stretto House makes for an extremely delightful house full of detail and complexity. However with this being the main focus of design, environmental factors have been neglected. The creation and distribution of spaces stemming from a piece of music is a fascinating process and the end product is a masterfully crafted and well thought out design, ‘giving the clients the freedom to enjoy the masterful evocation of dwelling and creek that provides the house’s basic diagram’ (Barna 1992).
Reference List
Arnardóttir, H. & Sánchez Merina, J. n.d. The Stretto House in Dallas, by Steven Holl.
http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com/2006/04/stretto-house-in-dallas-by-steven-holl.html (accessed 10 March 2010).Barna, J.W. 1992. Stream and Consciousness. In Proggressive Architecture. Nov 1992; 72, 11; 54-62.
Capanna, A. 2009. Music and Architecture: A Cross between Inspiration and Method. Nexus Journal Article 11 (2): 257-271
Farlex. n.d. Stretto. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stretto (accessed 19 March 2010).
Holl, S. 1996. Intertwining. Princeton Architectural Press: New York
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