HOME STEEL HOME SIMI COUPLE'S STATE-OF-THE-ART HOUSE BUILT ON METAL FRAME.

Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - Ed and Madeleine Landry's sprawling, soaring, mountainside-hugging house is steeled against the elements.

Built around a steel frame, it will withstand earthquakes, wildfires and just about anything else nature can dish out.

The house, opened for the first time Thursday, spans 11,000 square feet including a 1,600-square-foot guest house.

``What we ended up with is probably a house that is as earthquake-resistant as possible. There's nothing on the exterior that can burn, needs paint, can be eaten by a bug or rust,'' Ed Landry said of his airy steel palace on the family's 130-acre mountain site with sweeping views of Simi Valley.

It won't make them sick, either, because it's billed as the nation's first antimicrobial home. All of the products made from carbon and stainless steel in high-touch zones like doorknobs, railings, food preparation areas and such have been coated with a compound that reduces the growth of bacteria, mold and fungus.

There is lots of blond wood, travertine marble on the floors, and African and Japanese art throughout.

``One of the things we like about this house is even though there are only two of us living here we don't feel like we're rattling around in it. And my wife looks beautiful against these colors,'' Ed Landry said.

The modern home, which features 28-foot-high ceilings in the living room and what seems like acres of glass, did not intrude on the environment. Ed Landry said they did not cut down a single tree but did plant 10,000 plants native to the Santa Monica Mountains on the property.

They also installed six miles of drip irrigation and 10,000 water emitters.

The house shares star billing with the natural habitat and water features that include a waterfall and horizon pool.

But steel abounds.

There are 200,000 pounds of it in the house, making it a real heavyweight in this rustic Box Canyon neighborhood. The framing weighs in at 81,000 pounds, the roof and gutters 14,000 pounds, the 4,000-bottle wine rack 10,000 pounds and kitchen ceiling panels and appliances 9,000 pounds.

The antimicrobial coating covers 35,000 pounds of the steel, including air-handling duct work.

Best of all for the Landrys, it was free.

Middletown, Ohio-based AK Steel Corp. donated the material as a way to promote a new product. The antimicrobial coating was developed by Wakefield, Mass.-based AgION Technologies LLC and AK developed a way to make it stick to steel.

AK had been thinking about building its own concept house but came across the Landrys' plans. AK Steel officials would not say how much the steel in the house cost but a 2001 story in the Daily News put the value at about $500,000.

``We needed a demonstration laboratory, a high-visibility project to demonstrate the advantages of using steel construction. California was an obvious choice,'' said AK spokesman Alan McCoy.

The Landrys were building an upscale home and since Madeleine Landry had developed asthma after being exposed to chemicals used in termite fumigation, it was a good way see whether products featuring AgION's antimicrobial coating are commercially viable.

``Public awareness of microbes has grown rapidly in the past few years, and with it so has the interest in products that can help address concerns for cleanliness,'' McCoy said.

It's why high-end appliance maker Dacor donated kitchen appliances, including 36-inch and 48-inch professional ranges that cost $6,000 and $7,500, respectively.

They also have the antimicrobial coating. When the cooking process is finished, the ranges hold the food at 150 degrees, which is out of the germ danger zone, said Bob Lewis, Dacor's assistant vice president of product development.

``We want to see how it goes over. We have not produced these antimicrobial (ranges) for the market but we might just do that,'' Lewis said.

The Landrys will get good use out of the cooking equipment since they like to entertain and can seat 48 guests for dinner in the dining room. And they plan to share their award-winning home, designed by AC Martin Partners, with the community. They are involved in numerous charities and will open it for fund-raising events.

``We've always used our house for (civic events) for the community,'' said Ed Landry, a former Northridge resident. ``This is a new community for us so we want to make it possible for groups to use the house.''

Gregory J. Wilcox, [phone]

greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Many parts of Ed and Madeleine Landry's new home in the hills above Simi Valley are built of steel.

(2 -- color) Ed and Madeleine Landry plan to open their state-of-the-art home in Simi Valley to the community for fund-raising events.

(3) When Ed and Madeleine Landry built their custom home, they didn't cut down one tree but did plant 10,000 plants native to the area and installed six miles of drip irrigation.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer