North of San Francisco where the land rolls in straw-colored hills dotted with gnarled oaks and rocky outcroppings, shadows are sharp and colors glow in the clarity of California sunlight. Two rectangular forms sit askew, hinged with a raw concrete column, intersected with a cylindrical tower, geometry interlocking the forms. Overhanging roofs are braced with red steel struts and earthen shades of stucco spring from the land. A teacher and a computer programmer moved to the Bay Area from Seattle for new work, and a new life. Their passionate involvement in the project even included our client wiring the home himself.

The plan is simple, open, all of the parts united around a sculptural stairway. Movement is celebrated in the compositional arrangements of the components. There is serenity in the simplicity of the program and in the interdependent linking of the forms. Spaces flow both horizontally and vertically, around the central stairway and up it, physically in function, and visually in contemplation from several vantage points. The dominant lines of the living area flow through the adjacent, angled volume to create a dynamic interaction between the private spaces above and their container. Limestone flooring is soft and cool in the warm climate. Cherry and maple are bound with steel and stone in cabinets and steps.

The garage is separated from the home, connected with a trellised path to symbolically and physically tie the owners to their land each time they arrive or depart. A curved terrace ties the building components together in a calm link between inside and out. Preservation of existing trees allows this home to sit peacefully among them and they, in turn, provide privacy from nearby neighbors. The angle of the roofs reflect the slope of the land, the struts the branches in the trees, the shadows and orientation aligned with the sun...all organic ties springing directly from this particular piece of land.

Architectural forms are archetypal - cylinder and shed. Rhythms of the exposed beams are classical. The scale of the columns and thickness of walls are monumental. These are traditional elements, all drawn from great respect for why those traditions endure, but assembled in a new way to make a building that speaks of its place and its time, and of those who inhabit it.