In past newsletters, we’ve talked about Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) as an alternative for a  conventional wooden framed home. As green building technologies continue to gain momentum, ICF is becoming a popular choice for building a new home.

The Energy Efficiency Benefit – The most frequently discussed advantage to ICF is the increased level of energy efficiency.  ICF greatly improves the thermal envelope of a home with increased R-value and larger thermal mass.  In other words, an ICF home, which doesn’t have joints between walls and floors or wood in the walls, is extremely air-tight. Controlled fresh air is circulated in the home. As they say in the ICF industry, “Build it Tight, Vent it Right.”  This works to prevent conditioned air from escaping and unconditioned air from entering.  The ICF acts as a consistent and continuous insulator. Also, ICF homes create large thermal mass which allows them to ‘flatten out’ or slow down the daily temperature fluctuations. They absorb heat when the surroundings are hotter, and give heat back when the surroundings are cooler.  Over time, these energy efficiencies translate to lower utility costs for a homeowner. The additional up-front costs of ICF provide a financial payback over the life of the home. 

Other benefits of ICF include noise reduction, increased indoor air quality, durability in severe weather, and fire resistance. Most residents of ICF buildings describe them as very comfortable to live in.

The construction of an ICF home is fascinating to watch. One of our current projects reached the “pour” stage today. The ICF forms had been assembled on site as what looked like large styrofoam legos. The penetrations for electric and plumbing services were all precisely placed. The window and door openings were finished to the correct opening sizes. Today, the concrete was poured and vibrated into place.  Here are some photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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