Fox Blocks insulated concrete forms (ICFs) provide a method to speed up the construction of a movie theater and lessen labor costs because Fox Block’s all-in-one wall assembly combines five steps into one fast and easy installation. Therefore, builders can construct a movie theater quicker and with less labor than either wood-frame or concrete masonry (CMU) construction. Fox Block ICFs create energy-efficient movie theaters with excellent soundproofing, disaster- and moisture-resistance, and durability.

How to Build a Movie Theater Fast with ICF

ICF movie theater construction reduces construction time over a traditional stick-built or concrete masonry unit (CMU) construction because, unlike stick and CMU, ICF provides framing, continuous insulation, furring attachments, and air and vapor barrier, in one step. The all-in-one wall assembly significantly accelerates production time by eliminating the need to coordinate multiple trades. Furthermore, ICF construction requires less labor than either stick or CMU construction.

ICF reduces costs over wood frame construction by eliminating labor in several stages of construction:

• ICF eliminates the need for labor to install insulation in the foundation wall and interior of the envelope.
• ICF cuts out the need for a crew to frame the exterior walls and the interior of the foundation wall.
• ICF removes the need for workers to detach the concrete forms after pouring the foundation.

ICF also lessens costs over CMU expenses:

• A CMU wall requires an application of insulation, which adds one more trade to the job site and another day of costly labor to the building project.
• A CMU wall often requires an application of an air and moisture barrier, which again adds another trade and more expensive labor.
• The lightweight nature of ICFs over CMUs, quickens ICF building time over CMU.

Fox Blocks Remarkable Production Rate When Building the Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas in Carlsbad, CA

In less than two weeks, workers installed approximately 30,000 square feet of Fox Block ICF tall wall for the construction of the Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas in southern California. Notably, the 8-inch core Fox Block solid concrete walls went up two times faster than CMU walls. Here’s the math to prove it -

• 16 laborers each worked 8 hours a day for 12 days.
  • Calculate the Total Man-Hours:
    • 16 X 8 X 12 = 1536 man-hours

• Over the 12 days, the workers completed 30,000 square feet of movie theater walls.
  • Calculate the Production Rate:
    • 1536 man-hours / 30,000 sf = 0.0512 man-hours psf of ICF wall

• The production rate of ICF nearly doubles that of CMU.

In Just a Few Months, Fox Blocks Constructed the Award Winning Megaplex 15 Theater in Utah

The Megaplex 15 Theaters in Utah used almost a quarter-million square feet of Fox Blocks ICF in its tall wall construction. Impressively, the ICF portion of the project wrapped up in under four months, with the entire job completed in seven months. Because of the use of ICF, and other green building criteria, the theater received a LEED Silver certification. It also won several awards: the Associated General Contractors awarded it the “Retail Project of the Year” for 2013, and Engineering News-Record presented it with the ENR Merit Award.

Creating Excellent Acoustics for a Movie Theater with ICF

ICF provides excellent soundproofing for a movie theater because the foam insulation absorbs sound, and the concrete in ICFs reflects noise.

Notably, the EPS Industry Alliance found that one-quarter to one-eighth as much sound penetrates through an ICF wall compared to a wood-frame wall. Also, a report out of the University of Washington concluded that ICF could lessen sound transmission 200 percent better than CMU walls. ICF exterior walls, like Fox Blocks, provide a superior product for soundproofing the walls of a movie theater.

Building a Soundproof Exterior Wall for a Movie Theater with Fox Blocks ICFs

Fox Blocks ICF wall assembly significantly reduces the transfer of sound between the outside to the inside of a theater. Fox Blocks, with a Sound Transmission Class (STC)1 rating of STC 45-50+, provide a sound-dampening component that helps reduce noises between viewing rooms. Also, Fox Blocks ICF construction allows builders to expand the number of locations for movie theaters, including areas close to highways and airports.

Other Advantages of Fox Block ICF Exterior Walls for Movie Theaters

Fox Blocks offers other important components that today’s builders and architects look for in the design of a new movie theater: disaster-resistant, moisture-resistant, durability, and energy-efficiency:

• Fox Blocks obtain a fire-resistance rating (ASTM E119) of 4 hours for the 6-inch blocks and 2 hours for the 4-inch blocks.
• Fox Blocks build a strong continuous path that ensures a movie theater can maintain its integrity against winds above 200 mph. Also, ICF walls will resist damage debris flying over 100 mph.
• Fox Blocks insulated concrete forms exceed ASHRAE/ANSI 90.1 energy code requirements, and create an energy-efficient movie theater with superb moisture resistance and energy performance.
• Fox Blocks provide continuous insulation with an R-value of 23.
• Fox Blocks high-thermal mass contributes towards a high-performing movie theater.
• Fox Blocks feature a solid continuous monolithic concrete wall with a perm rating of less than 1.0, which controls moisture intrusion and prohibits the growth of unhealthy mold that can negatively impact the integrity of a building.
• Fox Blocks engineering enables ICF reinforced concrete tall wall construction to meet theater design requirements.

Why Choose Fox Block ICF for Your Next Movie Theater Construction Project?

Fox Blocks ICF construction expedites the production of a movie theater and reduces labor costs over both wood-frame and CMU construction. Fox Blocks also produces movie theaters with excellent sound quality. Furthermore, ICF builds disaster-resistant, moisture-resistant, durable, and energy-efficient movie theaters.

Please contact Fox Block professionals for more information on building movie theaters with ICFs.

1-The STC rating indicates how much a product (or wall) lessons a sound as the sound travels through the material (wall). The calculation of the STC rating is by the ASTM E-413 Standard. The greater the number, the better the noise isolation.