Get to Know Gold Medal Winning-Architect Steven Holl

Last week the American Institute of Architects announced that Steven Holl, long considered one of the most the most formidable talents in the field, would receive its 2012 Gold Medal, aka the highest honor in American architecture. Known for his ability to effortlessly blend space and light and a fondness for perforated surfaces, Holl atypically develops his designs by painting them in water colors first. He’s also always keenly aware of context in his work. “I believe that architecture needs to be completely anchored in its program and site,” he told Inhabitat earlier this year. “Its meaning must be so deeply rooted in the conditions of its inception that it’s unfazed by fashion.” Click through to take a quick tour of some of Holl’s most well-known buildings from around the world.

The Nelson Atkins Museum Bloch Building in Kansas City, Missouri

Photo courtesy of Steven Holl Architects