Hillside Home Nabs LEED Platinum

Four years ago, Scott and Tracy Lee knew they wanted to move to Mill Valley and raise a family. The gestation period on both fronts is finally complete, and the couple and their two children live in the first house in Marin that has garnered Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum status, the highest attainable sustainability rating for residences.

The home, located on Hillside Avenue, was featured in May's American Institute of Architects Marin Homes Tour. Lee, president of the 50-year-old San Francisco firm SB Architects, wanted the home to represent the possibility that LEED homes could also fit appropriately into their surroundings.

"Once we understood the thresholds, we thought we would push ourselves and go for platinum," says Lee, 44. "Because this is what we do for a living, we felt that we could make this a showcase green home that was also tasteful and appropriate for Mill Valley. A lot of LEED homes look like factories, but this home is stealth in its greenness."

The LEED for Homes rating system, administered by the US Green Building Council, is a nationally recognized standard for the design and construction of high-performance green homes; a platinum ranking is the highest rating attainable.

Lee's four-story home was designed by his firm and built by green builder McDonald Construction & Development. Lee purchased the lot from an owner who had torn the previous home down to its foundation.