Architectural Design with BuildBlock ICFs

Creation. It begins as a wisp of imagination. You coax it from its ethereal existence onto a blueprint plane, discovering its distinctiveness and promise.

When the time comes to bring your creation to life, choose the permanence of BuildBlock Insulating Concrete Forms.

BuildBlock Interior Wall Model

Architects are one of the strongest influences for home and building owners make the right choice in building materials. With ICFs, form and function meet to Design It For Life…

Designing with BuildBlock Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs)  is choosing the most innovative Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) company in the world. As a respected leader in green building components, we believe in building structures that are energy-efficient, safe, healthy, comfortable and sustainable. The ICF market is growing at an ever increasing rate due to the necessity for homes, buildings, commercial space, multifamily housing, as well as governmental and institutional facilities that are environmentally friendly, disaster resilient, and energy-efficient low cost of ownership and extreme longevity. ICF structures deliver truly green energy savings and smaller carbon footprints.

Why do ICFs work so well?

ICF thermal mass

Insulating Concrete forms sandwich a solid reinforced concrete core between two 2.5″ thick panels of dense EPS foam. This foam is extremely good insulation and delivers unparalleled energy efficiency. Why?

The heating or cooling experienced during the day or night is stopped from influencing the inside temperature through both the EPS foam insulation and the concrete core. While the EPS foam works as a effective insulation it’s the thermal inertia of the concrete core that adds the greatest advantage. The concrete is heavy and dense and resists changing temperature. Think about the evening after a hot summer day when the sidewalks and streets are still warm late into the night. The concrete, once heated, stays warm for a long time. The opposite (cold concrete) is true as well. 

This thermal inertia of concrete helps stabilize the wall temperature. Combined with the insulation on both sides of the wall, preventing either exterior temperature changes or interior heating and cooling from affecting the wall temperature on the other side. By staying so stable, the inside temperature must only be conditioned to change a few degrees either direction, requiring very little energy.

About Design

Whether you are designing a residential or commercial concrete structure, you cannot beat the benefits of designing with BuildBlock ICFs. We provide you with multiple design options while eliminating concerns for waste factors, environmental issues, or the trade off between functionality and design. The use of a BuildBlock ICF wall system assists you in meeting the requirements of a LEED Certified structure, having strong Continuous R-Values and STC ratings. Very few building components can claim such state-of-the-art benefits. Independent industry testing proves that ICFs deliver true energy-efficiency savings and disaster resilience and are the most affordable form of construction. Together we can complete a worldwide common goal – to see lives changed and communities rebuilt through the use of this amazing revolutionary building component.

The results are clear! Building with insulated concrete forms is the proven way to build a home or building that is more energy-efficient, and uses a product with far greater R/RSI-value benefits than traditional insulated wood frame walls. Make your choice today and enjoy savings for a lifetime.

ICFs performance statistics

Demand ICF…Specify BuildBlock.

The adaptability of BuildBlock Insulating Concrete Forms makes them ideal for virtually any design you conceive. The intrinsic flexibility of the foam material allows for unique footprints, arches, angles and curves in your design, and at a lower cost to construct than with traditional building systems.

The comfort and safety are unmatched by traditional construction methods and the energy-efficiency benefits the occupants and environment alike.

Best of all, your creation will stand for decades or perhaps centuries longer than if it were constructed with wood.

Seeing is Believing

Below you will find a copy of the Thermal Performance Report completed by CLEB Laboratories for the ICFMA with more information and details. A PDF of this report can also be found online at icf-ma.org/thermalstudy.

The BuildBlock Product Family Benefits

  • BuildBlock ICFs give you limitless design flexibility including arches, angles, and curves. You can use your imagination. The sky is the limit, making it easier for you to achieve your design goals without compromising energy efficiency.
  • BuildBlock ICF buildings can be designed in any style and will accept any traditional exterior finish including vinyl or wood siding, stucco, EIFS, rock, and brick. There are new innovative materials on the market now that can be applied directly to ICFs with no vapor barrier required. These materials can also be stamped to look like rock, brick, stucco, and other surfaces.
  • BuildBlock ICFs have web spacing on 6-inch centers, with more attachment points, where most ICFs webs and furring strips are spaced on 8 to 12 inch centers. This adds strength to the block while eliminating scallops and potential for blowouts.
  • BuildBlock ICFs have a continuous R-Value of R-21 without adding any finish materials that may give additional R-Value. There is no thermal bridging or convection from other building components.
  • BuildBlock ICFs provide you with all 10 Energy Optimization Points. Our product also has the potential to impact the following LEED Certification Point categories: Energy Performance, Reduced Footprint, Materials and Resource Credits, Durability, Indoor Air Quality, Innovative Design, and Sustainable Construction.
    Designing a structure with BuildBlock ICFs allows the end consumer to down-size their HVAC system and reduce energy consumption resulting in a smaller carbon footprint and lower operating costs for the lifetime of the structure.
  • BuildBlock ICFs contain no HCFC, formaldehyde, asbestos, or fiberglass, and no harmful CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are used in their manufacture, nor is there any degree of “off-gassing” – making them one of the safest building materials on the market today.
  • BuildBlock ICFs significantly contribute to noise attenuation with an STC rating of 51.

Building Information Modeling (BIM), Revit Models and Design Resources

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