The site for this project overlooks both the city and a scenic canyon.  From the rear yard, the house is seen as part of a series of horizontal volumes which merge with the terrain of the landscape, while from the front yard its presence is distinctly more urban, vertical, and formal.  This dichotomy is emphasized by the articulation of two vertical walls that are folded into roof surfaces to create a backdrop anchored to the horizontal terrain.  These two shell-like elements shift away from one another in plan to create a volumetric fissure that contains a two story entrance and vertical circulation.  While these shell elements afford privacy from surrounding homes, the rest of the house is primarily skinned with glass to open up the inside to views of both the city and canyon.