Location: San Diego CA
Owner: Keoni Rosa and John Clark
Contractor: Keoni Rosa, Inc.
Located in one of San Diego’s first suburbs from the 1920s, architect Keoni Rosa and his husband John Clark revitalized their deteriorating South Park home with a new green and modern design. Their addition and remodel created a 3 Bedroom/4 Bath home with a wide open living area that looks out into the natural open space of Juniper Canyon. The house was designed to form a giant funnel in order to capture the strong ocean breeze that whips through the canyon.
With their large extended family and friends, Keoni and John needed a spacious central place that accommodates everyone. The great room fully opens to the canyon with west and east Balconies, and holds a giant kitchen with a 15 foot long island.
Utilizing both active and passive solar design, the house uses the natural canyon breezes and shading to keep the house cool without the need for air-conditioning. The open living area has 48 feet of pocketing and sliding glass doors. The west canyon-facing balcony has a 15 foot overhang which blocks the sun from hitting the glass. Overhangs were used throughout the house to create shade over every window and door with minimized southern exposures. The balcony also has solid steel shutters to control the flow of air on the balcony.
The sustainable green features include a 7Kw solar system that fully powers their home and electric car. With floor to ceiling glass, the rooms are flooded with natural light. From the LED lighting to the Energy Star rated appliances, every aspect of this green home is energy efficient. It makes sense to be green and use renewable energy for everything. You get large federal rebates and it saves you money!
The great room has a radiant gas fireplace with 70% efficiency and a heat-shift system that warms the house in minutes. The gas furnace is highly efficient with 95% efficiency, controlled with Nest energy saving thermostats. The water heater is a Navien Condensing Tankless Water Heater with 97% efficiency. It is a smart water heater that remembers your time of use to preheat and circulate the water before you need it.
The roof is designed as a cool roof, built with a bright white TPO roof to reflect the heat. The attic is ventilated with two Quiet Cool Attic ventilation systems, which thermostatically control the attic heat at a steady temperature. All ceilings have R30 insulation and the walls have R21 insulation. The glass is Low E 366 throughout and openings are controlled with automatic roller shades to block the solar heat gain. An interior IAQ (indoor air quality) fan runs continuously to bring fresh air into the house.
The interior finishes are environmentally friendly, with low VOC, 100% acrylic paint. The porcelain tile floors are made with 40% recycled content and the oiled teak wood floors are 100% FSC recycled teak, formaldehyde-free and VOC-free.
Gray water was incorporated creating a sustainable site, re-using all the water from all showers, bathroom sinks, and laundry to irrigate different areas of the landscape. Drought tolerant plants and succulents are used in the landscape to lower water usage with no irrigation required. In addition, all of the roof water is piped and directed to the landscape planters and a dry well reservoir located under an in-ground trampoline, allowing the water to naturally seep into the ground.








