Walkways are composed of 4, 5 or 6-sided black basalt pavers laid out in a unique, non-repeating pattern that breaks apart from the whole into erratic fragments beneath the existing trees. No two stones are alike. As the grade drops off toward the pool house, the stone transitions to linear basalt risers set at random angles with ends that tie into the slope as if their purpose is to pin and stabilize the hillside, protecting it from the forces of attrition. The site’s terrain is also magnified at the property’s edge where a high solid glass fence in a frosted finish undulates continuously with the peaks and valleys.

When viewed from a distance, the opaque white line reads as an extruded register of the extreme topography ever-present in this region. Weeping varietals of Blue Atlas and Alaskan Cedars, Beech, and Katsura punctuate the hillsides around the home. Distinguishable by their contorted, oddly-shaped habit, these specimens were selected for their abnormal expression of random recessive phenotypic variations. A grove of Ginkgos stand tall as an entry accent. Ginkgos were also selected for an extraordinary quality -- much like the cliffs that rise in the distance, they’re the only living fossil from 200 million years ago still in existence.

Credits: - Steven Holl Architects - Charles Mayer Photography