From Factory to Site: Enhancing Prefab Homes with Lunawood ThermoWood®
When designing prefabricated houses, material choice plays a critical role in achieving both long-lasting performance and visual appeal. Lunawood Thermowood stands out as a premium solution—combining sustainability, dimensional stability, and natural beauty. Its durability in demanding environments and refined Nordic aesthetic make it ideal for modern prefab construction and industrial-scale housing production. By integrating Lunawood Thermowood, prefab homes can deliver on the expectations of modern living while supporting a more sustainable and visually distinctive built environment.
Below, we highlight a few examples of how Lunawood has been successfully used in prefabricated houses.
Casa Montaña by Neoblock Modular, Spain
Casa Montaña, built by B home, is a prefabricated modular house that was transported across the Cantabrian mountains, over 600 km to its final location. The installation of the house was carried out in one working day. The technical properties of Lunawood are beneficial in modular building: the lightness, easy workability, and excellent weather resistance are just some of these benefits.
VB56 house by VANBOOM, Netherlands
The VB56 house is VANBOOM’s first energy-positive, pre-fabricated home. This sustainable timber house has three spacious bedrooms and is completely energy-neutral. The house consists of 80% wood, the structure of the house, insulation, cladding, stairs and window frames are all made entirely of wood. The exterior of the home features sustainable Luna Duo 32×140 3D cladding on its facade.
B Home by [baragaño] Arquitectos, Spain
The B Home presents a new spatial and design concept: a dynamic tiny house built in less than four months. It offers the possibility to expand the space by adding new modules, allowing it to adapt to the changing needs of its inhabitants. Factory-built modules ensure consistent quality and help avoid delays. The house is clad with maintenance-free Lunawood, adding natural beauty and durability. It can be transported and placed anywhere—and it can even be stacked to create a collective housing structure.
Colby College’s Johnson Pond Houses, USA
Designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects, the Johnson Pond Houses at Colby College in Maine are a model of efficient and responsible prefabrication. Completed in just 15 months, the project exceeded expectations—transforming from a temporary solution into a permanent campus fixture thanks to the durability and quality of modular construction.
To align with the college’s sustainability values, Nordic Lunawood Thermowood was chosen for the façades of the four dormitories. Its light weight, dimensional stability, and low maintenance made it ideal for industrial manufacturing. The Luna Panel System enabled quick installation while achieving a refined, textile-inspired look—paying tribute to Waterville’s heritage in cotton and menswear production.
Built to near Passive House standards, the houses offer high energy efficiency and long-term performance in a warm, natural environment.
Screening Element System in AURUM by Arco Architects, Finland
Aurum, the newest building of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi, serves students across its 20,000 m² facilities. Lunawood battens, installed as curved design elements, extend seamlessly from the entrance into the seven-story atrium, creating an impressive yet natural atmosphere. Each batten has a precisely defined placement to achieve the desired curved form.
Lunawood was selected for its sustainable qualities and excellent dimensional stability—both essential for the project’s exacting design. Its performance also made it possible to use the same wood material both outdoors and indoors, ensuring visual continuity.
Why Lunawood Thermowood is the Ideal Material for Prefab Houses?
Lunawood Thermowood offers several key advantages for prefabricated houses.
Sustainable and Chemical-free:
Crafted from certified and renewable Nordic pine and spruce, Lunawood is completely chemical-free and stores five times more carbon than is emitted during its production (according to the Lunawood EPD).
Lightweight and Easy to Work With:
Lunawood is thermally modified in high-temperature kilns, where all resin is removed from the timber. Moisture is also extracted, resulting in a final moisture content of approximately 4–7%, which makes the wood lighter and more stable. Lunawood Thermowood is nearly 20% lighter compared to unmodified softwood.
Enhanced Durability and Stability:
Long-lasting facades require materials which withstand diverse climates. Lunawood Thermowood excels in durability and stability due to its thermal modification process. Structurally, Lunawood is a highly stable material that is less prone to warping, cracking, or shrinking.
Low Maintenance:
Exterior cladding made of Lunawood Thermowood does not necessarily require surface treatment, which saves money and time in the long run. We tell more about the ease of maintenance of Lunawood in this article. The untreated wood surface turns silver-gray over time but retains its excellent technical properties. If you prefer to maintain the brown color or achieve a specific shade, Lunawood Thermowood is compatible with most surface finishes.
In our blog article ‘The natural greying of Lunawood Thermowood,’ we explain how to ensure the most beautiful grey outlook for the project.
Aesthetics and Design Flexibility:
The Lunawood Collection provides a large scale of tongue-and-groove panels and rectangular battens with a natural and elegant appearance that enhances the overall design of prefabricated houses. Its golden brown color and smooth texture create a sense of warmth and sophistication.
