Insulated Concrete Forms

Yesterday in the Greensburg update ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms), were talked about
as being the green building material of choice on at least a couple of projects. This
stuff caught my interest so I delved into it a little. Here’s what I found.

ICF is a block form that has 3 inches of styrofoam on two sides with a 6 inch plastic
spacer in the middle with slots to pop rebar into. They stack together to form walls
and buildings and concrete is poured into the middle of the forms.

Buildings made from ICFs are energy efficient, enviromentally friendly, solid, built
to last, quiet and comfortable. They lower the potential for mold and allergens by
keeping out the air and moisture. Cooling and heating cost are reduced because the
interior temperatures in ICF buildings remain steady throughout the seasons. They
resist the ravages of time, fire (up to 4 hours), and wind (up to 200 mph).

Most are produced from recycled materials and even the unused portions can be recycled
to make the least possible impact on the enviroment.

I like it!!!

The Building Begins

The City Administrator Steve Hewitt goes to Kansas City to talk to BNIM about building
the downtown “Main Street Small Business Incubator” LEED’s platinum certifiable.

Getting back to his home in “FEMA Town” in time to take his toddler Trick or Treating
dressed as a skunk (cute!).

The Methodist Church decides to rebuild green for the people and the generations to
come. They are rebuilding with ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms), 3 inches of styrofoam
on the two sides with a 6 inch plastic spacer in the middle with slots to pop rebar
into. Filled with concrete, the walls are wind resistant to 200+ MPH.

Mary Merhoff (mother of 3), and her mother Pamela Muntz have decided to go with a
manufatured home as it runs $64 a square foot, instead of a stick built which runs
about $110 – $120 a square foot. Concerned about having new home payments, yet she’s
optimistic because her Day Care Center job at the Methodist Church is opening back up
in their temporary building.

City Council Meeting: Steve Hewitt, along with BNIM wants city council to push through
a city ordinance to make all the buildings in town “incubator” LEEDs Platinum
certifiable – heads shaking and nay saying.

Wylan Fleeman thinks businesses should build back as quick as they want, the way they
want. He encourages building green, but don’t think it should be forced on people.

Greenburg gets their one traffic signal back.

Farrell and Debbie Allison visit their ruined home site. With nothing left but the
concrete foundation, Farrell (an agricultural scientist), finds the corner of the
foundation where he set nails in the wet concrete to form 1981, the year they built.
Not able to rebuild on the old site because the town is re-routing the highway through
it. On their new site they are very serious about going green. Steel beams for the
roof and as with the church, they are using ICF. As Farrell said, “very solid, very
sound proof, very tight.”

Bob and Ann Dixon lived in a historical Victorian house built in 1912. Now they watch
their new manufactured home move down the barren street, ready to be set over the new
foundation and basement. They can finally smile.

Pamela takes pictures of her and Mary’s manufactured home rolling up the street. She
talks with pride of the homes construction, siding made of concrete instead of wood,
all energy star appliances. She grins and says, “even the windows are energy star
rated”.

Butch and Dana Conrad get their new manufactured home. Energy star rated but, Butch
could care less about green. He feels the town is being too pushy about it. Talking
with their friends, they all express concerns over the cost of going green. They feel
if you can afford it do it, if you can’t, don’t.

The City Council finally approves the resolution to build the incubator LEEDs platinum
certifiable, the first in the nation, possibly the world.

And now it’s Thanksgiving, a time for reflection and hope, seven months after the
tornado.