ICF Construction
ICF Construction
Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are hollow “blocks” or “panels” made of expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS) or other insulating foam that construction crews stack to form the shape of the walls of a building.
The workers then fill the center with reinforced concrete to create the structure. There are over 20 brands of ICFs in North America, each providing variations in design and materials.
ICF construction sandwiches a heavy, high-strength material (reinforced concrete) between two layers of a light, highly insulated material (EPS or foam). This combination creates a wall with many desirable properties: air tightness, strength, sound attenuation, insulation, and mass.
Why ICF Construction?
ICFs are used for walls in residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. Concrete walls built with insulating concrete forms (ICFs) give a building enhanced comfort, solidity, durability, resistance to natural disasters,quietness, and energy efficiency. Use of ICFs is growing rapidly. They offer owners and builders many advantages over wood or steel frame walls.
Comfort. Buildings constructed with ICF walls have a more even temperature throughout the day and night. They have virtually no “cold spots” and far fewer drafts. ICF walls have negligible air infiltration.
Solidity. The solidity of concrete construction reduces flexing in floors, as well as shifting and vibration from theforce of the wind or the slamming of a door.
Quiet. About one-sixth as much sound gets through an ICF wall compared to an ordinary frame wall.
Improved Energy Operations. The superior insulation, air tightness, and mass of the walls can reduce the cost of operating HVAC in the building by up to 40%. In addition, ICFs allow the installation of smaller (generally, less expensive) heating and cooling equipment.
The high R-value combined with thermal mass means ICF walls exceed most energy code requirements. If the building is like most buildings, it is using fossil fuel. By reducing the building’s fossil fuel requirements, the ICF plays an important role in reducing the negative environmental impacts associated with fossil fuel use.
Natural Disaster Resistance. Concrete buildings survive high-force winds like hurricanes far better than wood or metal frame buildings. When properly reinforced, they should also withstand earthquakes well.
Fire Resistance. Of all construction materials, concrete is one of the most resistant to heat and fire. Experience shows that concrete structures are more likely to remain standing through fire than structures of other materials.
Concrete walls have also proven more resistant to allowing fire to pass from one side of the wall to the other. This is a significant benefit in areas where brush fires are common, or where high density zoning increases the risk of fire spread.
Unlike wood, concrete does not burn. Unlike steel, it does not soften and bend. Concrete does not break down until it is exposed to thousands of degrees Fahrenheit—far more than is present in the typical residential or office building fire.
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