Going commercial with ICFs: not just for residential construction anymore.

Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) continue to gain popularity for above-grade residential concrete construction. But increasingly, ICFs are also being used for commercial construction. Joe Lyman, director of the Insulating Concrete Forms Association (ICFA), Glenview, Ill., says that over the past year, 28% of all ICF sales went to commercial projects, a percentage that increases each year. Canada and the Midwestern states lead in this trend. A commercial project is defined by the ICFA as anything larger than a duplex housing project.

The leading commercial markets for ICFs are hospitals, retirement homes, churches, hotels, resorts, theaters, multifamily housing, retail stores, agricultural facilities, freezers, and schools. Each of these applications finds different advantages in using ICFs, but the common threads are energy and time savings. Keven Rector, technical services manager for Nudura, Barrie, Ontario, says that owners can expect average savings of 42% for heating and 32% for air conditioning. And in terms of speed, Tom Patton, manager of sales and technical support for Arxx, Cobourg, Ontario, says that one of its contractors recently constructed a building during the winter, finishing three months earlier than an identical building constructed with concrete masonry.

Being persuasive

It's not easy to market a new wall system to someone who has a long, successful track record with other systems. Owners, architects, and contractors tend to be faithful to what has worked well for them in the past. So ICF manufacturers trying to nurture the commercial market must be willing to expend marketing resources to convert commercial projects to ICE John Moylan, vice president of sales and training for Reward Wall Systems, Omaha, Neb., says he thinks owners and GCs have the most influence on the choice of a wall system, each for different reasons. When owners retain ownership of their building, energy savings is a big reason why they choose ICFs. GCs, on the other hand, are influenced to try ICFs because of reduced construction time and labor. And designers select ICF systems when they are concerned about building "green"--trying to generate points towards LEED certification for a building.

Values and benefits

Here are some reasons it makes sense to build with ICFs:

* Heating and cooling energy costs are less.

* Building the wall also completes insulating and furring steps.

* Walls can be constructed in significantly less time and for less money when compared with other systems.

* ICF walls are sound deadening, making them ideal for movie theater construction, for example.

* Walls are structurally reinforced concrete, providing ultimate protection from hurricane, tornadoes, and seismic events.

* Every manufacturer provides easy ways to change wall thickness to meet any specified condition.

* Life cycle costs are low compared with other materials.

* Mechanical systems can be downsized, saving additional money.

* Multistory construction is possible--up to 11 stories when post-tensioned reinforcement is designed into the system.

* Construction under severe weather conditions is easier with ICF walls when compared with other systems.

* ICF walls have good fire ratings.

* A less-skilled labor force can be used.

* Many finished surface applications can be installed directly on the expanded polystyrene surfaces of the ICFs, reducing those costs.

What it takes

There are few differences between the products used for residential versus commercial construction. The greater difference is in the sophistication of the construction process. Commercial contractors must be able to develop highly organized jobsite schedules, work in close coordination with other trades, and gain expertise in multistory construction. Commercial work is often unionized so the contractor must be a signatory to trade union agreements and hire workers from the right trade for specific job functions. And because most commercial projects require bonding, contractors must have a good bonding history and be able to bond more than one job at a time.

Determining costs

Moylan says that one marketing challenge is to educate owners to think more about the overall performance of their projects than about initial construction cost. Though most people interviewed for this article said that the productivity of their wall systems has advanced to the point where they are competitive with other wall systems, it's also clear that there are intangible cost savings not always considered on the bid sheet. Chief among these is increased jobsite productivity. Even at current low interest rates, Schwab says, an owner's cost for a construction loan is $8000 per $1 million per month. Finishing early can save a lot of interest expense and get the building in service sooner generating revenue from an earlier move-in.

Owners should also consider savings for HVAC equipment; Schwab says that a downsized system on a recent Oklahoma project saved more than $100,000. HVAC units can be downsized by up to 25% with the help of a knowledgeable mechanical engineer. Monthly savings on energy bills should also be considered part of the real cost. Schwab has testimonial letters showing savings as high as 60% compared with conventional buildings.

What a satisfied owner says Bill Cotton, owner of Cotton's Concrete Construction, Athens, Penn., says they've been doing ICF construction since 1992 and love the work. He's used several manufacturers' products in the past and currently uses Reward. One client is the Towanda Memorial Hospital, Towanda, Penn. Cotton has completed two building expansions for them, the most recent a 21,166-square-foot surgical and outpatient facility with 30-foot-high walls. They were persuaded to use ICFs on the first expansion because of sound attenuation and energy savings. Now it's their building system of choice.

ICF systems for commercial construction

American PolySteel

Offering a full range of products including flat wall and waffle grid designs, PolySteel was the first ICF manufacturer to be recognized by all major code approval agencies. Its use of galvanized steel ties and steel attachment studs, which are recessed 6 inches on center, provides strength, fire resistance and dimensional stability. Its forms can be pre-assembled into panels prior to delivery to the jobsite, resulting in shorter construction times, reduced labor and material requirements, and long-term cost savings. For below-grade installation, Polysteel ICF units are also available in a foam material that eliminates termite infestations. www.polysteel.com. Circle 1.

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AMVIC

AMVIC has four manufacturing sites in the United States and one in Canada, It manufactures units with a higher than normal foam density (1.5 pounds per cubic inch). In form capacity tests, its units withstood pressures of more than 850 pounds per square foot. The units come pre-assembled--no jobsite assembly of the ICF units is required. Units are reversible, including corners. When in place, the blocks lock together. AMVIC reports good concrete flow through the webs. A 1-inch dowel is placed on outside corners for easy attachment of exterior cladding, www.amvic.com. Circle 2.

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Arxx

Arxx units are pre-assembled and have exposed webs that install flush with the outside of the panel. This makes it easy to locate the fastening points for drywall and exterior cladding. The units interlock when laid up in a wall. www.arxxbuild.com. Circle 3.

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Commercial Block Systems

Owner Mike Schwab says that Commercial Block Systems is the only ICF manufacturer focused solely on the commercial market. Its system is designed for speedy installation on the jobsite. No jobsite assembly is required. A steel stud is molded into the blocks to add strength to the unit and serve as the attachment point for interior drywall. Schwab says the strength of the system allows 14-foot vertical concrete placements in one pass. Contractors are encouraged to internally vibrate their concrete to eliminate honeycombing--the units are designed to handle vibration. www.commercialblock.com. Circle 4.

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Eco-Block

Eco-Block's units are shipped flat and assembled on the jobsite to make blocks of any width, in 2-inch increments. They feature five connector locations that allow for rebar placements wherever specified. This also allows contractors to add more webs within the wall system where concrete pressure is higher and at places where more frequent rebar placement is needed, such as around window and door bucks. It claims to be the environmental leader among manufacturers with 40% recycled materials used in the manufacture of its webs. Eco adds that it has manufacturing sites within 500 miles of any jobsite in the United States and will provide onsite training to help new crews get started. www.eGo-block.com. Circle 5.

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Integraspec

Integraspec manufactures an "independent panel" system, making it possible to set up inside and outside walls separately. Panels. shipped flat and assembled onsite, can mate with each other in any orientation. It also manufactures 90[degrees] and 45[degrees] corners that can be rotared to fit either left or right corners. Plastic inserts are molded into the foam to make the units stronger and provide an attachment for drywall screws. Cradles in the ties position horizontal rebar, which can be set in 6-inch increments vertically. President Michel Philippe says that with all the support built into the system, you can place as much as 10 vertical feet of concrete in one pass. It's also possible to integrally form columns in the walls, www.integraspec.com. Circle 6.

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Nudura

Nudura's block system is shipped flat to the jobsite. The plastic ties are permanently mounted to the foam walls, so workers can quickly fold them open. The blocks click and lock together as walls are formed. There are built-in cradles to secure and position horizontal rebar as specified. The forms are also reversible. having no top or bottom, and corner pieces can be flipped to make either left or right corners. Corners of different lengths make it possible to stagger the blocks. There are small indents in the foam to mark the locations for drywall attachment. www.nudura.com. Circle 7.

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Quad-lock

Quad-lock units are shipped flat and assembled onsite. They offer three different insulation values: R22, R32, and R40. Plastic furring strips are molded into the EPS foam to make drywall or exterior siding installation easier. The corners (outside and inside) are 90-degree steel angles, which mount on each row. The angle can be changed so that walls can come together at any angle. www.quad-lock.com, Circle 8.

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Reward Wall Systems

Reward's ICF units come fully assembled to save time in the field. The company also promotes a product called the Accelerator, a drop-in piece of galvanized reinforcement for floor or roof ledgers, which can also be used to tie back brick veneers. The units, including corner pieces, are fully reversible, and the ties have a flat surface at each end for fastening drywall, www.rewardwalls.com. Circle 9.

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