White Paper- ICFs Offer Shelter From the Storm
ICFs Offer Shelter From the Storm News of natural disasters appear almost daily in the media. While some events, such as floods and earthquakes, are restricted within certain geographic regions, wind storms respect no such bounds. Some areas of the country are more prone to tornadoes or hurricanes, but high…
NBC Bank Utilizes BuildBlocks ICF Disaster Resistance Capabilities
NBC Bank Utilizes BuildBlock ICF's Disaster Resistance Capabilities for security of important documents and equipment. As far as banks go, this is one of the most energy-efficient banks in Oklahoma. Banks are high traffic, and considerations for foot traffic must be accounted for in the design. ICFs coupled with the spray…
BuildBlock ICF Above Ground Safe Rooms
Tornado season is upon us, and once again, we in the Midwest and Southeast will see thunderstorms forming and rolling across the plains, and we will look up and wonder if that is just a low hanging cloud, or something more ominous. Safety is of primary concern during a tornado. …
Asked & Answered: What is the expected lifetime of the expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam?
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is essentially inert. There have been multiple studies of EPS in the soil for 15 to 30 years demonstrating only minor degradation of the EPS foam. EPS foam is expanded using steam. It is the entrained air that provide the insulation value in the material. EPS is…
BuildBlock FieldNotes – 006 ICF Safe Rooms
We’ve all seen what happens on the news when disaster strikes: shattered homes and lives after the tornado or hurricane, smoking ash after the wildfire, and collapsed rubble after the earthquake. Disasters happen when we least expect them,but are something we need to be prepared for. We wear seat belts and have…
Asked & Answered: What is the Prescriptive Method and why do we talk about it?
What is the Prescriptive Method? The Prescriptive Method for Insulating Concrete Forms in Residential Construction is the accepted method for installation, general engineering, and standard for ICF home design. The Prescriptive Method for Insulating Concrete Forms in Residential Construction is a document, originally drafted by the Department of Housing and…
Educare Childcare & After School Program Building 75+ Person Safe Room & Media Class Room in Perkins, OK
Educare Childcare & After School Program Building 75+ Person Safe Room & Media Class Room in Perkins, OK Educare child care is using BuildBlock ICFs to build EF5 multi-purpose safe room tornado shelter for children and staff at First United Methodist Church in Perkins, OK. (Oklahoma City, OK, June 12,…
Video: Perkins Educare Safe Room Part 2
Perkins Educare Safe RoomConstruction continues on the Educare safe room in Perkins. While the kids had a blast helping stack the first two courses of block Educare Director Betty Weems and James Ladwig, Ladwig Construction discuss the challenges of the project and their hopes for the future.Look for more updates as…
Video: BuildBlock Helps Build 75+ Person Educare Safe Room Part 1
Oklahoma has been in the middle of "Tornado Alley" since it was first defined in the early 1950s. We see our share of tornadoes and strong storms throughout the year. In May 2013 devastating tornadoes hit the community of Moore, Oklahoma and took the lives of several children who were sheltered…