rHOUSE is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes Platinum Certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design and Platinum Certification is the highest designation for sustainability, which incorporates every progressive building technique available today. It will function as a day-to-day classroom and as an active learning tool for construction techniques of the future. The project has been approved by the Division of State Architect, the California Department of Education and the Office of Public School Construction.

The project provides additional state of the art instructional space for Cosumnes Oaks High School (COHS) and will stand as a model for future construction. The building will include construction practices and materials that current and future students can see, study, comprehend and improve on.

Students are actively involved in the project. They developed the preliminary plans, have attended multiple meetings and have observed construction. Students will continue design and installation of landscaping and other project components.

When the building opens, it will:

• Surpass Title 24 energy code requirements by at least 48%.
• Meet all structural, accessibility and life-safety requirements as a Division of State Architect approved school building.
• Provide students a working, changing model. An ongoing lesson plan, the rHOUSE will demonstrate the benefits of a wide variety of ongoing and sustainable building operations.
• Provide a home-like laboratory for student energy projects, comparisons and studies, such as gray water systems; energy use, generation and storage; building materials, etc.
• Be a destination for field trips from schools around the region, hosted by student docents demonstrating the many features of the building.
• Host open house events, inviting the community at large to see and experience sustainable strategies for their own homes.
• Evolve and change as new technologies are developed.
• House an electric vehicle that was converted from an internal combustion engine by COHS students.
• Allow for collaboration with other schools and interdisciplinary lessons, (e.g., plant material is being used by chemistry club to make ethanol and bio-diesel).
• Provide room for electric vehicle testing, a solar oven and other outdoor projects in the yard.
• Demonstrate passive heating principles and be used for testing hydroponic and earth-grown plants for use as alternative fuels as well as learning propagation techniques in the future greenhouse.