Architects: Nakhshab Development & Design
Year: 2011
Photography: Courtesy of Nakhshab Development & Design
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Shayan House, engineered, designed, and built by Nakhsab Development & Design, is the first LEED Certified Gold single-family home in San Diego’s Mission Hills. Completed in 2011, the mid-century modern residence integrates sustainable features such as a highly efficient thermal envelope, an open-concept main floor with 13-foot windows, and a rooftop solar system that offsets 40% of the home’s energy use. Located on a challenging canyon lot in the architecturally diverse Mission Hills neighborhood, the house was purposefully designed to accommodate three generations of the Nakhshab family, blending sustainability with comfort. Passive design strategies and sustainable materials enhance the home’s energy efficiency.
The Shayan House includes custom amenities that demonstrate how luxury can coexist with green building principles. The home features a large living and entertaining space with 13-foot floor-to-ceiling windows that offer impressive canyon and city views. The main floor, designed as an open-concept kitchen, living, and outdoor space, maximizes natural light and seamlessly integrates indoor and outdoor environments.
The home’s highly efficient thermal envelope includes formaldehyde-free insulation, a cool roof system, Low-E coated windows, and a design optimized for cross ventilation. The roof hosts 21 photovoltaic solar panels, providing a 40% annual energy offset. Sustainable materials such as concrete flooring, concrete block walls, and natural steel and wood elements are used throughout to maintain the home’s modern aesthetic.
The home, built on a steep canyon lot, posed significant engineering challenges. NDD employed a partially subterranean design to avoid the high costs and limitations of traditional stilt construction. This innovative approach allowed the construction of the home on a lot considered “unbuildable” for over 20 years.
The orientation and site were carefully analyzed to ensure maximum efficiency for passive ventilation, lighting, solar energy, and heating and cooling. The design also features architectural overhangs for shading, limited glazing on east and west-facing walls, and a south-facing roof optimized for photovoltaic energy production.
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Project Location
Address: San Diego, California, United States
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
