In form and plan, the new house provides both open perches and quiet retreats on its wooded hill site. Rusted steel panels, white painted steel beams, wood, aluminum, and glass frame views of the landscape and the clients’ extensive art collection. As a design/build firm, Tonic worked with a structural engineer and steel crafters to fabricate a striking spiral staircase that connects the main living level to the roof deck. Clipped onto the side of the house, the outdoor stair's helical form stands in contrast to the grid-like steel structure. Photo by Jim West