Hillside House | SB Architects

Nestled in the hills of Mill Valley, California, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Hillside House has just received certification as the first LEED for Homes Platinum custom home in Marin County, and one of only a handful in Northern California.

Designed by San Francisco-based SB Architects, an international firm well-known for the design of site-sensitive resort and mixed-use projects around the world, and built by well-known green builder McDonald Construction & Development, this home is a statement of what is possible combining “high design with high sustainability.”

photography by © Mariko Reed

The four-story home – clad with beautiful, sustainable Western Red Cedar siding – is set on a steep hillside site that provides for a very vertical design with living and private zones situated on multiple separate floors. Numerous outdoor and covered terraces and balconies capitalize on stunning views of the bay and the San Francisco skyline beyond. The home’s many green aspects include:

Western Red Cedar siding
Energy Star-Rated Whirlpool appliances
Kohler low-flow plumbing fixtures
Mythic zero-VOC paints
High-recycled content interior concrete from Concreteworks
Sustainably produced stone veneers from Eldorado Stone
Sustainably harvested floors and cabinetry from Plantation Hardwoods
New World Millworks, reclaimed timber and recycled metal roofing

Every inch of this LEED Platinum custom home has been designed to maximize its sustainability, in direct response to the site, trees, and views. Consequently, this home lives far larger than its actual footprint, but with an impact that is far less.

photography by © Mariko Reed

Project Info:
Architects: SB Architects
Location: Mill Valley, United States
Builder: McDonald Construction
Area: 2116.0 m2
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Mariko Reed
Project Name: Hillside House