At VISION House Transcend, thermally modified siding proves that a home’s “skin” can be as resilient and climate-smart as the structure beneath it while still feeling right at home in the forest.
Perched among pines in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, VISION House Transcend is designed to disappear into its surroundings as much as it stands out. The long, low building nestles into the hillside and deep overhangs shade a concrete terrace that runs the length of the home. What you notice first from the trees is the warm, vertical wood cladding–Lunawood ThermoWood by Delta Millworks acts like a bridge between the manufactured precision of this high-performance modular home and the wild landscape that surrounds it.
Walking along the covered porch, you’re wrapped in this continuous wood surface: soffits, siding, and the rhythm of posts framing expansive triple-pane glass doors. The effect is serene and robust, a tactile reminder that sustainable design isn’t only about what’s inside the walls. It’s also about the materials that meet the sun, the snow, and the wind every day, and how thoughtfully they’re chosen.
“Delta Millworks is an award winning, family owned manufacturer of architectural-grade wood siding, paneling and decking,” Sara Gutterman, CEO of Green Builder Media explains. “For 40 years in Austin, Texas, Delta has been a pioneer in offering high performance and sustainable wood materials, promoting wood as a renewable building material, and innovating its application.”
Lunawood starts its life in the Nordic forests, where slow-grown pine and spruce mature for decades in a harsh climate, which produces dense, tight-grained lumber. That tight, straight grain is then transformed through a thermal modification process that uses only heat and steam, no chemical preservatives, to change the wood at a cellular level. The result is dimensionally stable, weather-resistant siding that resists warping, shrinking, and swelling even in demanding climates, making it ideal for exposed facades.“It doesn't require surface coating even in the most challenging climate conditions, which makes it an ecological choice throughout its life cycle,” Gutterman mentions.
Because the process is chemical-free and the timber comes from responsibly managed, PEFC-certified forests, Lunawood carries a light environmental footprint. The trees sequester carbon as they grow, and when that wood becomes durable cladding, the carbon stays locked in the boards for decades. Lunawood’s own environmental product data shows that its products store significantly more CO₂ than is released in manufacturing, helping reduce the embodied carbon of projects that specify it.For a net-zero, solar-powered home like Transcend, that kind of material choice reinforces the project’s whole-house sustainability story.
Resilience is equally important on this fire-prone mountain site. Lunawood’s thermal modification improves its performance under high heat, and select product lines can be further treated with a non-toxic BurnBlock fire retardant to meet stringent fire-class requirements without changing the look or feel of the wood.Combined with Transcend’s non-combustible light-gauge steel framing and metal roof, the Lunawood cladding helps create an exterior envelope that is ready for a changing climate while still delivering the warmth of natural materials.
Delta Millworks plays a crucial role in bringing Lunawood to North American projects like VISION House Transcend. The company specializes in modified woods, with a firm commitment to avoiding tropical hardwoods and favoring responsibly sourced, long-lasting alternatives such as Lunawood.At Transcend, Delta’s precise milling and profiling turn Lunawood boards into clean vertical lines that echo the trunks of the surrounding trees and accentuate the home’s modern form.
To learn more about the Lunawood siding provided by Delta Millworks at VISION House Transcend, check out this video. For a deeper dive into the project’s systems, products, and performance, visit the VISION House Transcend microsite.
Samantha is able to express her passion for the environment -- both natural and built -- as the special projects manager at Green Builder Media. Prior to joining the Green Builder Media team, she worked as an order management specialist at C.A. Fortune, a consumer brands agency. She is a recent graduate of the Master in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University with an emphasis on sustainable and resilient communities. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, she is currently thriving in Gunnison, CO where she enjoys the surrounding geology, mountain biking, and skiing.
How Thermally Modified Wood Enhances Homes
At VISION House Transcend, thermally modified siding proves that a home’s “skin” can be as resilient and climate-smart as the structure beneath it while still feeling right at home in the forest.
Perched among pines in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, VISION House Transcend is designed to disappear into its surroundings as much as it stands out. The long, low building nestles into the hillside and deep overhangs shade a concrete terrace that runs the length of the home. What you notice first from the trees is the warm, vertical wood cladding–Lunawood ThermoWood by Delta Millworks acts like a bridge between the manufactured precision of this high-performance modular home and the wild landscape that surrounds it.
Walking along the covered porch, you’re wrapped in this continuous wood surface: soffits, siding, and the rhythm of posts framing expansive triple-pane glass doors. The effect is serene and robust, a tactile reminder that sustainable design isn’t only about what’s inside the walls. It’s also about the materials that meet the sun, the snow, and the wind every day, and how thoughtfully they’re chosen.
“Delta Millworks is an award winning, family owned manufacturer of architectural-grade wood siding, paneling and decking,” Sara Gutterman, CEO of Green Builder Media explains. “For 40 years in Austin, Texas, Delta has been a pioneer in offering high performance and sustainable wood materials, promoting wood as a renewable building material, and innovating its application.”
Lunawood starts its life in the Nordic forests, where slow-grown pine and spruce mature for decades in a harsh climate, which produces dense, tight-grained lumber. That tight, straight grain is then transformed through a thermal modification process that uses only heat and steam, no chemical preservatives, to change the wood at a cellular level. The result is dimensionally stable, weather-resistant siding that resists warping, shrinking, and swelling even in demanding climates, making it ideal for exposed facades. “It doesn't require surface coating even in the most challenging climate conditions, which makes it an ecological choice throughout its life cycle,” Gutterman mentions.
Because the process is chemical-free and the timber comes from responsibly managed, PEFC-certified forests, Lunawood carries a light environmental footprint. The trees sequester carbon as they grow, and when that wood becomes durable cladding, the carbon stays locked in the boards for decades. Lunawood’s own environmental product data shows that its products store significantly more CO₂ than is released in manufacturing, helping reduce the embodied carbon of projects that specify it. For a net-zero, solar-powered home like Transcend, that kind of material choice reinforces the project’s whole-house sustainability story.
Resilience is equally important on this fire-prone mountain site. Lunawood’s thermal modification improves its performance under high heat, and select product lines can be further treated with a non-toxic BurnBlock fire retardant to meet stringent fire-class requirements without changing the look or feel of the wood. Combined with Transcend’s non-combustible light-gauge steel framing and metal roof, the Lunawood cladding helps create an exterior envelope that is ready for a changing climate while still delivering the warmth of natural materials.
Delta Millworks plays a crucial role in bringing Lunawood to North American projects like VISION House Transcend. The company specializes in modified woods, with a firm commitment to avoiding tropical hardwoods and favoring responsibly sourced, long-lasting alternatives such as Lunawood. At Transcend, Delta’s precise milling and profiling turn Lunawood boards into clean vertical lines that echo the trunks of the surrounding trees and accentuate the home’s modern form.
To learn more about the Lunawood siding provided by Delta Millworks at VISION House Transcend, check out this video. For a deeper dive into the project’s systems, products, and performance, visit the VISION House Transcend microsite.
By Samantha Carlin
Samantha is able to express her passion for the environment -- both natural and built -- as the special projects manager at Green Builder Media. Prior to joining the Green Builder Media team, she worked as an order management specialist at C.A. Fortune, a consumer brands agency. She is a recent graduate of the Master in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University with an emphasis on sustainable and resilient communities. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, she is currently thriving in Gunnison, CO where she enjoys the surrounding geology, mountain biking, and skiing.Also Read