Check out our River Vine Blog for the latest tips and topics on building modular prefab green homes.

Today, we’re spotlighting another River Vine Project Partner—Heliodyne, Inc., a leading U.S. manufacturer of solar water heating equipment since 1976. A pioneer in solar hot water, Heliodyne offers a full line of flat plate collectors and heat transfer equipment—all SRCC and IAPMO rated, ensuring that they are built and perform to the highest standards.

A solar water heating system replaces a conventional hot water heater, efficiently harnessing the power of the sun to meet domestic hot water needs. River Vine uses a closed loop system with roof-mounted flat-plate collectors that capture sunlight and convert it to electricity by running it through a heat exchanger located in River Vine’s mechanical room.

For years, Solatube International has provided American Modular with systems that bring daylight in modular classrooms. When approached with the opportunity to partner on the River Vine projects, we jumped on it.

For centuries, most homes were built with wood. But that’s changing… and for the better. AMS has helped bring about this change in the way we build our schools, and with River Vine, we’re helping bring about the same change in the way we build our homes.

Modular construction is like a puzzle, with a number of pieces being built independently, but designed to fit together into a building. River Vine has 16 modules, which are sectioned into three main living areas—the East Wing, West Wing and Center—with an attached garage and mechanical room. Each of these sections is in a different phase of construction, but we have both factory and site crews working concurrently, with master crane operators ready to assemble the modules at River Vine by year-end.

Next up in our River Vine Project Partner Spotlight Series is USG Corporation, a global leader in the building materials industry. For more than 100 years, USG has led the building industry in drywall innovation, offering the nation’s largest-selling, broadest line of interior and exterior panels for residential and commercial applications. As the inventor of USG Sheetrock® Brand Gypsum Panels, a product line that AMS has used very successfully in our Gen7 classrooms, USG has become the standard for the highest quality and best performing walls and ceilings.

It has been an exciting few weeks for the River Vine Project Team. We finished framing River Vine’s South-East modules at the AMS factory in Manteca, while ramping up site development at the building site. AMS’ innovative parallel process maximizes our scheduling and cost efficiencies, allowing us to finish the first phase of framing in just one month, compared to a minimum of three months using traditional construction methods.  Working simultaneously onsite and in the factory, we can deliver a complete custom residence with the same or superior quality materials, systems and features in about half the time of stick-built construction.

This week, we’re continuing to recognize our River Vine Project Partners by spotlighting Solatube International, Inc., a global leader and innovator in tubular daylighting devices (TDDs). AMS has worked with Solatube International for almost a decade, installing the company’s high-performing TDDs in our Gen7 classrooms.

California Wine Country is a special place. For generations, people have worked the land, taking and giving back, maintaining a natural balance that has lasted for centuries. So when we decided to build River Vine, it was important that the house fit the setting, enriching the natural beauty that was already there. We wanted to preserve the balance, honoring the rustic simplicity of the past while building a modern, energy-independent home that uses the power of the sun and earth to capture the possibilities of the future.

River Vine is the most advanced high performance prefabricated building ever built, blending state-of-the-art sustainability, high-end amenities and cutting-edge technology in a custom design. Here are the top ten things that set the home apart