What is ICF?

Insulated concrete formwork (ICF) is an in-situ concrete system of building that is quick to construct and offers superior levels of performance over alternative methods of building envelope construction. ICF adopts a fabric first approach to construction by prioritising the thermal performance of your building and minimising the need for heating and cooling.

This is achieved by addressing five key areas in the specification: insulation, u-values, airtightness, thermal bridging and comfortable living environment.

What does ICF mean?

ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Formwork. These systems can vary in terms of their material, performance and size, but in its simplest form the external wall construction technique consists of an insulating material combined with steel reinforced concrete.

In Mexico, the most commonly available systems are:

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Moulded – these systems known as Screen Grid are delivered to site as pre-formed blocks that look like large legos.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Panels – available as two EPS panels connected using plastic ties to form a block with a hollow cavity (delivered as a an assembled on-site block prior to construction).

What is ICF construction?

The most commonly available ICF systems consists of building blocks created from EPS. The blocks are stacked, fixing into place via a raised surface which removes the need for intermediate bedding materials such as mortar. Steel rebar is placed inside the core of the blocks in a vertical and horizontal direction following the structural engineering plans and then concrete is poured into the central cavity.

Once cured the ICF blocks remain in place to deliver two layers of an insulating material that wraps the building both inside and out. Simplicity and speed of build are two of the main reasons to choose ICF and its easy to see why with construction completed in four quick steps.

Design Your Home – ICF blocks have the capability to create almost any design – from a traditional farmhouse through to a contemporary home with bespoke shapes or curved walls.

Build the Wall – ICF has a lot of similarities to traditional brick or block laying techniques. The process is incredibly quick with a typical standard ground floor layout of a home constructed in only a couple of days.

Pour the Concrete – walls are usually built in stages, typically ground floor height at first, before concrete is poured into the block. Once cured construction continues until you achieve full building height.

Finish the Build – ICF systems easily work with a wide range of standard construction systems, materials and products such as door, floor and roof options. A wide range of facings materials can be applied internally and externally, including stone, render or aluminium, to create the desired look for your home.

What are the benefits of ICF?

Due to its simplicity, building with this insulated solid wall construction method can not only speed up the build but it will also reduce the number of contractors required on site. The blocks are very lightweight and can be easily moved by hand, meaning you may not need heavy plant equipment and create a safer working site.

You can also use the same system for the entire build, which means one building materials for both the above and below ground, retaining walls. In fact, without the need for complicated structural solutions some conditions such as corner windows and cantilevered opening are easier to design with ICF than traditional forms of construction.

Energy efficiency comes as standard with ICF. The combination of the strong steel reinforced concrete core sitting in direct contact with the insulating material creates a building that delivers on thermal performance and airtightness that will significantly minimize energy bills and has been built to last.

ICFs offer greater protection from high-winds and damaging debris.

Steel reinforced concrete walls have been proven to resist damage from the impact of wind-driven debris.

Concrete Protection from Wind-Driven Debris

Debris driven by high winds presents the greatest hazard to homeowners and their homes during hurricanes. In extensive laboratory testing, ICF concrete walls successfully demonstrated the strength and mass to resist the impact of wind-driven debris.

Hurricane Protection

Missile testing designed to mitigate property damage losses from hurricanes was also tested on concrete walls. These tests used a criterion of a 9-pound missile traveling about 34 miles per hour. However, hurricane wind velocities will be less than the equivalent maximum speeds modeled in these tests, meaning that your ICF home is ready to handle any hurricane.

Bottom Line

The strength and durability of concrete walls formed with ICFs offer unmatched high-wind resistance which means better protection from severe weather. ICF concrete structures are proven to withstand unnaturally strong winds and major damage from debris. This greater measure of built-in safety makes ICF construction the quality choice for your new home.

If you are interested in building with ICF please contact us.