The owner, who is based in New York, is a sculptor whose primary medium is large-scale steel. He also has a fabrication yard in Petaluma, California where he builds in the colder winter months. For 30 years he has dreamed of building on a property nearby — a place not only where he can stay, but also “a place where artists and scientists can come and talk.” The site is located on a 59-acre parcel; it is high on a ridge to take advantage of the sweeping views but level enough to minimize disruption of the topography. The house is nestled adjacent to an existing grove of old-growth oaks, with the trees acting as a veil through which the building slowly reveals itself.