Hilldale Elementary Builds 11-Classroom Safe Room

On April 29, 2016   /   BuildBlock Projects, Video  
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20160405-hilldale-school-saferoom-oklahoma-city-010

  Hilldale Elementary Builds 11-Classroom Safe Room addition, which will be able to protect all of its students, teachers and staff during severe weather or a tornado. These classrooms will be a warm, comfortable learning environment all year, sound proof and energy efficient. Should the need arise, they would also function as a safe room for the entire school. The project is located on NW 16th St. in Oklahoma City. Classes run from August through June, which includes Oklahoma’s worst storm season. After the devastating effects of previous tornadoes, you can see why it is important to have a proper safe

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White Paper- ICFs Offer Shelter From the Storm

On February 22, 2016   /   Asked & Answered, BuildBlock News, White Papers & Research  
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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 wind gusts can hit anywhere. The potential for hurricane damage increases as more and more people willingly accept or ignore the associated risk of living in coastal areas. Yet, year after year, houses are demolished, and people lose their lives. The challenge is to rebuild in a way that will

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NBC Bank Utilizes BuildBlocks ICF Disaster Resistance Capabilities

On August 19, 2015   /   BuildBlock News  
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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 foam roof insulation lower the utility costs by more than 40%. This project was designed to blend into the surrounding residential area. The owners chose ICF because this branch was outfitted with a data center housing networking and computing infrastructure utilized by the bank.  This room had to be protected from the

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BuildBlock ICF Above Ground Safe Rooms

On June 8, 2015   /   BuildBlock News, White Papers & Research  
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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.  It is an immensely powerful, destructive force, which can devastate anything in its path. Historically we in the plains states have been told to move to the middle of your home and either open or close windows depending on who you have listened to.  If you had the luxury of

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BuildBlock ICFs used to rebuild Water Filtration Plant in White Sulfur Springs, Montana

On November 4, 2014   /   BuildBlock Projects  
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BuildBlock ICF chosen to replace tornado leveled White Sulfur Springs, MT water filtration plant. Summer wind storms are common in Montana,  this particular windstorm in 2012 turned into a powerful tornado and destroyed White Sulfur Spring’s fairly new water filtration plant. With the possibility of this happening again, it was time to re-think the stability and durability of the new water filtration plant. Concrete walls became the logical choice, and the advantages of BuildBlock ICFs were soon realized and applied to the overall reconstruction of the building. The architect, David Seabury with Seabury Design Associates, was able to design a completely new ICF

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BuildBlock FieldNotes – 006 ICF Safe Rooms

On September 8, 2014   /   FieldNotes, Technical  
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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 airbags because we have car accidents.  Our buildings have smoke alarms and sprinkler systems because we have fire.  We keep weather radios and have radar to keep us aware of severe weather. The majority of residential homes in the US are built out of wood.  There is a better way

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Educare Childcare & After School Program Building 75+ Person Safe Room & Media Class Room in Perkins, OK

On June 12, 2014   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects, Featured, Press Releases  
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Perkins Safe Room Stacked Ready for Pour

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, 2014) Educare child care and after school program located at the First United Methodist Church in Perkins, OK is building an EF5 FEMA compliant safe room and multi-purpose media room for their 75 students and 18 staff members using BuildBlock Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). The Educare Board decided build this

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Video: Perkins Educare Safe Room Part 2

On June 9, 2014   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects, Featured, Video  
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Perkins Educare Safe Room Construction 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 progress continues.  

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Video: BuildBlock Helps Build 75+ Person Educare Safe Room Part 1

On June 4, 2014   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects, Video  
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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 at their elementary school. The community of Perkins is about 45 minutes northeast of Oklahoma City and home to some BuildBlock staff. Their children attend Educare a 75 person early childhood day care and after school program housed at the First United Methodist Church in Perkins, Oklahoma. In 2013 they

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Moore Family Rebuilds Tornado Resistant Home

On April 28, 2014   /   BuildBlock News, Press Releases  
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Moore Family Rebuilds Tornado Resistant Home Davis family rebuilds home with Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) after home destroyed in May 2013 tornado.   (Oklahoma City, OK, April 28, 2014)  The Davis family is currently rebuilding their home in Moore, Oklahoma after it was destroyed in the May 2013 tornado. Their home was located at 405 Stonebridge, south of Fourth Street, just west of Eastern in Moore, Oklahoma. Their entire neighborhood was wiped away in the F5 tornado. Brenda and Charles Davis decided to rebuild their home using ICFs, Insulating Concrete Forms, one of the strongest methods of disaster resistant construction

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