With the completion of the VISION House Transcend, manufactured residences reach a new level of sustainability.
It all began with a simple mission: Build manufactured housing that was more than easy-to-assemble clone homes; residences that could be an affordable option for homebuyers and help builders cope with a triple threat of labor shortages, soaring material costs and lingering supply chain issues. In short, don’t build your grandfather’s prefab home.
Transcend sits atop the bank of the Lake Fork River in Lake City, Colorado, nestled in a Ponderosa forest, looking out into the expansive mountain landscape.
Enter Transcend Communities, a collection of self-powered net zero energy homes with solar arrays, battery storage, all-electric systems, and resilient and durable appliances. A joint effort between California-based homebuilder Dvele and Green Builder Media, the first Transcend demonstration home—VISION House Transcend—has been unveiled in the San Juan Mountains near Lake City, Colorado.
According to Green Builder Media, it's the realization of a long-term goal. “With Transcend, we reimagined the future of housing,” says Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman. “This incorporated innovative sustainable design, building science best practices, and cutting-edge products to exceed the demands of today’s homebuyer.”
Product and support for Transcend is being provided by these partners.
The living area is bright and fresh, flooded with natural light. The light-toned hickory floors from CRAFT and the white quartz countertops from Caesarstone, which are nonporous, hygienic and stain, heat and scratch resistant, help reflect the daylight into the space. The addition of Sonos in-wall amp speakers brings the calming benefits of music into the home.
JinkoSolar’s ground-mounted solar array with Eagle PV modules, connected to the JinkoSolar Eagle RS DC-coupled battery storage system, provides the home with clean energy. The home is so efficient that it feeds energy back to the grid, which is operated by Gunnison County Electric Association, a member-owned electric cooperative that receives its wholesale power supply from Tri-State System Energy.
The Arctic cold climate heat pump works in conjunction with Uponor super-efficient radiant ceiling panels to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house year-round. High-efficiency Grundfos pumps bring water from the well to power the Uponor hydronic heating and cooling system and fire protection system. Rockwool Comfortboard 80 insulated sheathing and AFB evo insulation absorbs sound, mitigate wildfire risk, repel water, and ensure that the house remains comfortable and efficient in all weather conditions.
The beautiful furniture by Lee Industries brings high design and comfort to this mountain home, from the couch, recliners, chairs, stools, and bed frames. Everything complements the home’s modern mountain aesthetic. The pieces feature soy-based cushions, fibers made from recycled plastic, organic fabrics for upholstery, and springs made from 80 percent recycled metal for a healthier home and environment.
The primary bedroom opens up to the front deck—the perfect view to start the day. Meanwhile, high-performance clerestory and slot windows pull in soft daylight. The Sheetrock EcoSmart drywall panels from USG are lightweight, low-VOC, and noncombustible, providing added fire safety.
The premium quality, expansive windows and doors from Arq-Espacio further enhance the connection with the surrounding nature. The tilt and turn capabilities offer different levels of ventilation, making the most of small spaces and allowing a cool mountain breeze to flow through the home. The multi-chamber design of the window and door frames enhance thermal efficiency and serve as a fire retardant.
The simple yet elegant faucets and showerheads from Grohe, sinks and elegant freestanding bathtub from American Standard, and wall-hung toilets from DXV, along with the Daltile Rekindle tile floors (with StepWise and Microban technology) and Caesarstone countertops, make the primary bathroom feel like a spa experience without sacrificing sustainability.
Custom TruStile stacked-rail style doors were designed to let light transfer through slats of frosted glass, without compromising privacy. These beautiful interior medium density fiberboard (MDF) doors, certified to contain at least 69 percent pre-consumer recycled wood, have no added formaldehyde MDF material and low-VOC adhesives and primers, contributing to healthy indoor air quality.
The Broan-NuTone Overture system, a whole-home ventilation system that includes exhaust fans, a range hood, and an ERV, detects poor air quality and automatically turns on the connected ventilation device, such as a bath fan or range hood.
The Dacor induction cooktop allows the owners to achieve exceptional cooking precision without heating the surrounding environment.
A jack-of-all-trades, the Dacor Combination Wall Oven can sear, steam, air fry and microwave, and also has a speed-convection baking to level up every meal.
The Samsung front-load washer with Super Speed and the heat pump dryer with Sensor Dry technology enable owners to wash a full load in just 30 minutes without compromising cleaning performance. Meanwhile, the ventless dryer utilizes heat pump technology to dry clothes more efficiently, cost-effectively and gently.
Grohe Blue provides filtered, fresh water from the kitchen faucet, with the ability to make sparkling water without the consumption of single-use plastic bottles.
The views from the front porch of the home are unmatched. The Lake Fork River curves through the stand of pines and cottonwoods, with picturesque mountain ridges in the background.
The Lunawood ThermoWood siding, provided by Delta Millworks, creates a seamless connection between the house and the surrounding Ponderosa pine forest. Lunawood is thermally modified with heat and steam to offer an easy-to-maintain, long-lasting and thoroughly sustainable option for all climates.
Rheem provided an electric ProTerra water heater that is four times as efficient as a standard electric water heater. It also features grid-enabled demand response, allowing it to respond to utility demand signals and take advantage of lower utility rates.
Prosoco Joint & Seam Filler, FastFlash, and AirDam products prevent air and water from entering or escaping around windows, doors, openings, and gaps, increasing energy efficiency and reducing heating and cooling costs.
Alan Naditz is managing editor of Green Builder Magazine. He has covered numerous industries in his extensive career, including residential and commercial construction, small and corporate business, real estate and sustainability.
Reimagining Prefab
With the completion of the VISION House Transcend, manufactured residences reach a new level of sustainability.
It all began with a simple mission: Build manufactured housing that was more than easy-to-assemble clone homes; residences that could be an affordable option for homebuyers and help builders cope with a triple threat of labor shortages, soaring material costs and lingering supply chain issues.
In short, don’t build your grandfather’s prefab home.
Transcend sits atop the bank of the Lake Fork River in Lake City, Colorado, nestled in a Ponderosa forest, looking out into the expansive mountain landscape.
Enter Transcend Communities, a collection of self-powered net zero energy homes with solar arrays, battery storage, all-electric systems, and resilient and durable appliances. A joint effort between California-based homebuilder Dvele and Green Builder Media, the first Transcend demonstration home—VISION House Transcend—has been unveiled in the San Juan Mountains near Lake City, Colorado.
According to Green Builder Media, it's the realization of a long-term goal. “With Transcend, we reimagined the future of housing,” says Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman. “This incorporated innovative sustainable design, building science best practices, and cutting-edge products to exceed the demands of today’s homebuyer.”
Product and support for Transcend is being provided by these partners.
The living area is bright and fresh, flooded with natural light. The light-toned hickory floors from CRAFT and the white quartz countertops from Caesarstone, which are nonporous, hygienic and stain, heat and scratch resistant, help reflect the daylight into the space. The addition of Sonos in-wall amp speakers brings the calming benefits of music into the home.
JinkoSolar’s ground-mounted solar array with Eagle PV modules, connected to the JinkoSolar Eagle RS DC-coupled battery storage system, provides the home with clean energy. The home is so efficient that it feeds energy back to the grid, which is operated by Gunnison County Electric Association, a member-owned electric cooperative that receives its wholesale power supply from Tri-State System Energy.
The Arctic cold climate heat pump works in conjunction with Uponor super-efficient radiant ceiling panels to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house year-round. High-efficiency Grundfos pumps bring water from the well to power the Uponor hydronic heating and cooling system and fire protection system. Rockwool Comfortboard 80 insulated sheathing and AFB evo insulation absorbs sound, mitigate wildfire risk, repel water, and ensure that the house remains comfortable and efficient in all weather conditions.
The beautiful furniture by Lee Industries brings high design and comfort to this mountain home, from the couch, recliners, chairs, stools, and bed frames. Everything complements the home’s modern mountain aesthetic. The pieces feature soy-based cushions, fibers made from recycled plastic, organic fabrics for upholstery, and springs made from 80 percent recycled metal for a healthier home and environment.
The primary bedroom opens up to the front deck—the perfect view to start the day. Meanwhile, high-performance clerestory and slot windows pull in soft daylight. The Sheetrock EcoSmart drywall panels from USG are lightweight, low-VOC, and noncombustible, providing added fire safety.
The premium quality, expansive windows and doors from Arq-Espacio further enhance the connection with the surrounding nature. The tilt and turn capabilities offer different levels of ventilation, making the most of small spaces and allowing a cool mountain breeze to flow through the home. The multi-chamber design of the window and door frames enhance thermal efficiency and serve as a fire retardant.
The simple yet elegant faucets and showerheads from Grohe, sinks and elegant freestanding bathtub from American Standard, and wall-hung toilets from DXV, along with the Daltile Rekindle tile floors (with StepWise and Microban technology) and Caesarstone countertops, make the primary bathroom feel like a spa experience without sacrificing sustainability.
Custom TruStile stacked-rail style doors were designed to let light transfer through slats of frosted glass, without compromising privacy. These beautiful interior medium density fiberboard (MDF) doors, certified to contain at least 69 percent pre-consumer recycled wood, have no added formaldehyde MDF material and low-VOC adhesives and primers, contributing to healthy indoor air quality.
The Broan-NuTone Overture system, a whole-home ventilation system that includes exhaust fans, a range hood, and an ERV, detects poor air quality and automatically turns on the connected ventilation device, such as a bath fan or range hood.
The Dacor induction cooktop allows the owners to achieve exceptional cooking precision without heating the surrounding environment.
A jack-of-all-trades, the Dacor Combination Wall Oven can sear, steam, air fry and microwave, and also has a speed-convection baking to level up every meal.
The Samsung front-load washer with Super Speed and the heat pump dryer with Sensor Dry technology enable owners to wash a full load in just 30 minutes without compromising cleaning performance. Meanwhile, the ventless dryer utilizes heat pump technology to dry clothes more efficiently, cost-effectively and gently.
Grohe Blue provides filtered, fresh water from the kitchen faucet, with the ability to make sparkling water without the consumption of single-use plastic bottles.
The views from the front porch of the home are unmatched. The Lake Fork River curves through the stand of pines and cottonwoods, with picturesque mountain ridges in the background.
The Lunawood ThermoWood siding, provided by Delta Millworks, creates a seamless connection between the house and the surrounding Ponderosa pine forest. Lunawood is thermally modified with heat and steam to offer an easy-to-maintain, long-lasting and thoroughly sustainable option for all climates.
Rheem provided an electric ProTerra water heater that is four times as efficient as a standard electric water heater. It also features grid-enabled demand response, allowing it to respond to utility demand signals and take advantage of lower utility rates.
Prosoco Joint & Seam Filler, FastFlash, and AirDam products prevent air and water from entering or escaping around windows, doors, openings, and gaps, increasing energy efficiency and reducing heating and cooling costs.
By Alan Naditz
Alan Naditz is managing editor of Green Builder Magazine. He has covered numerous industries in his extensive career, including residential and commercial construction, small and corporate business, real estate and sustainability.Also Read