Do ICFs require a special concrete mix design?
The con­crete is nor­mal strength, min­i­mum 2500 psi (20 MPa) per build­ing codes. The mix design spec­i­fies a small­er aggre­gate and high­er slump than con­crete typ­i­cal­ly used for floors. Most Ready-Mix sup­pli­ers are famil­iar with an ICF con­crete mix design.
Does expanded polystyrene (EPS) present a serious fire hazard?
The EPS in an Fox Blocks has a flame retar­dant that allows the forms to be flame resis­tant. The EPS will melt when exposed to sus­tained tem­per­a­tures over 300°F (149°C). The igni­tion point of the melt­ed styrene is 600°F (315°C) (wood is approx­i­mate­ly 500°F (260°C). Fox Blocks have been test­ed to meet the build­ing code require­ments for flame spread and smoke devel­op­ment, plus Fox Blocks may be used as fire resis­tant rat­ed wall assem­blies in schools and hos­pi­tals.
Does Concrete Mix Really Matter?
Prop­er con­crete mix saves time on labor, facil­i­tates con­crete con­sol­i­da­tion and ensures a suc­cess­ful Fox Blocks wall pour.
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THE PRESERVE AT MOUNTAIN VISTA
A series of homes were built togeth­er to prove the via­bil­i­ty of ICF con­tribut­ing to afford­able, Net Zero homes.
Elevated homes
Designing for Disaster Protection and Storm-Proof Homes
Exte­ri­or wind dam­age is respon­si­ble for 25% of all home­own­er insur­ance claims. That doesn’t include the inte­ri­or loss­es that occur when dam­aged win­dows and roofs let rain wreak hav­oc inside. While we can’t pre­vent wind­storms, we can lessen their dam­age by plan­ning home designs with wind-resis­tance as a top pri­or­i­ty.
What is EPS made from?
Poly­styrene is vir­gin mate­r­i­al, man­u­fac­tured from petro­le­um. Poly­styrene beads are expand­ed with steam heat to be up to 40 times their orig­i­nal vol­ume and then the expand­ed beads are mold­ed again by steam heat into 258″ rigid insu­la­tion pan­els to cre­ate a Fox Blocks ICF.
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LAKESIDE RESIDENCE
Cost effec­tive con­struc­tion was pos­si­ble because of the insu­lat­ing qual­i­ties of the Fox Blocks sys­tem.
ICF Construction: Theater Owners Like What They Hear AND What They Don't
ICF Wall Sys­tems are the supe­ri­or choice for build­ing com­mer­cial the­aters, due to how they con­tain inter­nal sound as well as mit­i­gate exter­nal sound.
Are there different types of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)?
EPS is list­ed basi­cal­ly under four prop­er­ty clas­si­fi­ca­tions – Type I, II, III and IV. The char­ac­ter­is­tics are based on the den­si­ty of the mold­ed foam which defines the prod­uct type. Fox Blocks ICFs are man­u­fac­tured as a Type II EPS with a den­si­ty of approx­i­mate­ly 1.5 pounds per cubic foot.
ICF Contractor Training Seminars 1
NRMCA Hosts Upcoming ICF Contractor Training Seminars
The NRM­CA is a mem­ber­ship orga­ni­za­tion for the con­crete indus­try and is a lead­ing indus­try advo­cate that pro­vides infor­ma­tion and updates to its mem­bers about the lat­est tech­niques, mate­ri­als and tech­nolo­gies.