On a steep lot that was initially considered to be unbuildable, a dedicated team of design professionals produced the first LEED-certified-Platinum home in Marin County, California. Nice trick. But how did they do it?

Like good magicians, the team took care to keep the backstage machinery well out of the spotlight. As builder Michael McDonald says, “We try to make the sustainability aspect of it disappear.”

That artfully hidden green technology includes in-floor hydronic heating, a solar array that provides 60% of the home’s electricity, LED lighting, cabinetry and floors made from sustainably harvested woods -even the roof is made of recycled metals.

Take a revealing look behind the scenes at a home that stands at the very apex of sustainable design.

SB Architects, a San Francisco-based design studio, created this contemporary four-story property in the hills of the Nestle Valley, California.

According to the architects: “This is a statement of what is possible combining luxury design while keeping sustainability a key focus. The contemporary Californian property – 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 capitalise on stunning views of the bay and the San Francisco skyline beyond. Some of the Eco-credentials of the property include, energy star-rated Whirlpool appliances, Kohler low-flow plumbing fixtures, and New World Millworks, reclaimed timber and recycled metal roofing.”

Click through to learn more on Built Green by Kohler.