![]() ![]() For example, when a concrete truck accidentally backed into an ICF structure at a job site, it damaged only the façade - the building’s structure was unharmed. Fortunately, the strength of ICF can help limit costly problems due to construction errors. No matter how careful and skilled your workforce is, errors can occur on a construction job site. When tested against C4 explosives, only the foam ripped off the ICF, leaving the concrete structure intact. The United States military now mandates ICF construction for military buildings housing or employing people to protect against bullets and bombs. Our home sustained no damage." Impact-Resistant ICFs "While sitting on the porch with my wife, an outer band tornado with winds of 180 mph directly hit our home. It even destroyed the home's CMU garage.įlorida building professional Mike Russell can personally vouch for ICF construction when Hurricane Irma, a Class 4 hurricane, hit his waterfront ICF home in Florida. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the southeast with nearly 200 mph winds and 22-foot tidal surges, destroying everything in its path except one ICF home. In addition, ICFs also resist damaging debris flying over 100 mph, splintering wood debris that tries to penetrate its walls. ICFs meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA 320 and FEMA 361 guidelines for safe rooms in storm zones with winds up to 250 mph. The continuous load path ensures that when uplift and lateral (horizontal) loads attack a building, the load will travel from the roof, wall and other components toward the foundation and into the ground. Wind-Resistant ICFsīuildings constructed with ICFs create a steady load path that maintains the structure’s integrity during intense winds of over 200 mph. ![]() Therefore, CMU buildings and homes are not as strong as ICF structures, which are essentially one solid piece of concrete. However, this does not create a continuous concrete system like ICFs. For added strength, you can fill the cells with concrete, placing rebar in every three or four cores. The ICF poured-in-place concrete wall system creates an ongoing bond beam within the entire structure, from top to bottom, tremendously enhancing its strength and durability over CMU construction.ĬMUs construction involves stacking concrete blocks and securing them together with mortar. ![]() In addition, ICF offers a more sustainable wall solution to CMU walls. Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) provide building owners, contractors, and architects with several vital advantages over concrete masonry unit (CMUs) construction: greater strength, energy efficiency, affordable costs, minimum maintenance, efficient installation and design flexibility. This article will show you the differences between ICFs and CMUs and help you discover how ICF construction can elevate a project's overall quality, all at a similar price to CMUs.įive Key Benefits of ICF Over CMU Construction But once a contractor tries ICF construction, they quickly realize its ease and affordability and then opt to use it again for future projects. However, people that have always used CMUs often hesitate to consider ICF construction and worry that it increases building costs. When deciding between ICF or CMU construction, building owners, architects and contractors should know that the benefits of ICF continuous systems provide a significantly superior building product compared to CMUs.
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