r.haus: Innovating Through Building Science

Randy Rand’s career working with engineers, contractors, and facility managers has been steeped in building science.

Building science considers how a building operates as an integrated system: How heat, moisture, and air interact with building materials and the surrounding environment. The goal is to optimize energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and durability of a structure.

Five years ago, Randy brought this science to his own new firm, r.haus, an Orono-based design-build business. Now he’s taken the next logical step: developing high-performance panels—walls, floors, roofs, and related systems—that incorporate the essential elements of business science.

His objective is to enable builders, from highly experienced to DIYers, to assemble the panels into homes that optimize comfort, health, and durability. He is working toward designs for different floor plans. The panels and resulting homes would meet both municipal and state building codes and the rigorous Passive House performance standards for insulation, airtightness, heat recovery, and ventilation.

The cost of an assembled home, he believes, will be competitive with custom homes, with lower annual operating costs.

We welcome r.haus to the UpStart Center for Entrepreneurship and stand ready to assist Randy and his team as they work toward developing the panels, finalizing designs, and moving into production.