The Tiny House Competition is the brainchild of the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD). The competition is modeled after the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon contests of years past. The general idea behind the competition is to explore emerging net-zero housing options and ways to promote sustainable living. rEvolve House is an interdisciplinary undergraduate project with a focus
on sustainable, renewable technologies, and building practices. The house is designed to provide all the comforts of a regular home in a fraction of the space. The house is built on an 8.5' x 28' trailer to keep the space small and to allow the entire house to be mobile. The goals of the team are to create a new kind of living space that includes all the amenities of traditional housing while having little to no carbon footprint. The team is partnering with Operation Freedom Paws, a non-profit organization that pairs dogs with veterans and others who have a variety of physical, neurological, psychological or mobility needs. The individuals and their dogs are trained and then certified together as a service dog team after participating in a 48-week program. Following the competition, OFP will receive the house to act as temporary accommodations for out-of-town visitors who need to stay at OFP’s facility for several days. Potential types of visitors include new clients being paired with a dog, dog shelter workers receiving training on what to look for in potential service dogs, or a service dog trainer coming in to help lead classes. The training program also has clients who travel significant distances and need to stay for a few days every month to receive the training they need.
