6737 N 48th Street

The Planar House, named for its geometric planes, is an award-winning home designed by world-renowned Steven Holl, architect of the Kennedy Center expansion and the 2012 AIA Gold Medal Winner.

Designed as both a residence and the owner’s private art gallery, the home became not only a vessel for a contemporary art collection but also a part of the art collection.

Holl sought a way to build a structure that would emphasize vertical surfaces. He constructed the house of tilt-up concrete walls and designed his slabs to merge at some points and diverge at others, creating small openings to let the light in. The flat and rotated nature of the walls is perfect for displaying artwork. Windows and skylights, strategically placed, send beams of light across interior walls and floors. Perforated Cor-Ten steel sheets cast geometric patterns around and in the house. The terrazzo floor was laid before any inside walls were built, so the interior walls can be moved if the owners decide to rearrange the spaces.

Sited on an acre of land, the residence has wonderful views of Camelback Mountain. A 40-foot lap pool in its own private courtyard leads to a rooftop sculpture garden, a sanctuary for meditation and relaxation.

The kitchen, dining area and office share a south-facing glass facade shaded by a deep overhang. The 3,350 sf home features an open bamboo kitchen, living room, gallery hall, den, office, a master bedroom suite with spa-like bath of Port Orford cedar and a cactus garden.

Paolo Soleri Studios constructed oval brass plates that attach to the tilt-up concrete walls. Steven Holl Architects designed almost everything in the home including the brass door handles and the cabinetry.

Currently a 1 bedroom home, the residence can become 3 bedrooms.

The Planar house has won the 2006 AIA NY Merit Design Award and has been featured in the NY Times spring 2007 Design Magazine. Time Magazine named Steven Holl America’s Best Architect, for buildings that “satisfy the spirit as well as the eye.”