![]() As a result, horizontal bars with greater spacing in order to facilitate easier installation can be specified.Ī specific ICF feature that also simplifies engineering is what is known as a ‘transition block.’ This allows an additional 50.8 mm (2 in.) of concrete at the top of the block. We also find that an ICF mid-rise building is easier to engineer than a masonry building-there is simply much more strength capacity in the steel-reinforced ICF walls.”Īdditionally, engineers do not have to be concerned with esthetic cracking with ICF mid-rise buildings as they would be with a cast-in-place building with painted exterior walls. “When a precast concrete floor is specified in an ICF mid-rise, the structural engineers do not have to engineer the floors as they would in a cast-in-place building. “We find ICFs to be very efficient to engineer,” says Ruhland. precast concrete floors-usually 203 mm (8 in.) andĪ punch-out window design is cost-effective with ICFs, and optimizes the wall-area to opening-area ratio, thereby maximizing the building’s thermal performance.To maximize performance and minimize buildings costs, they typically have: A 17-story ICF mid-rise building being constructed.įurther, given their size, function, and design requirements, ICF-built mid-rise multi-family buildings tend to have their own set of design parameters. ![]() “However, it is just like a concrete building design professionals were taught in school,” says Kurt Ruhland of Kitchener, Ont.-based MTE Consultants Inc., who have designed many ICF-built mid-rise buildings in the Waterloo area. ICFs can be used to construct a building of any shape, and they can easily accept any type of exterior wall finish acceptable for mid-rise buildings as per the various provincial fire codes.Īrchitects and engineers considering ICFs for the first time may be initially hesitant to design with a new technology. In this application, where thermal performance is important, they provide maximum impact and benefits when compared to traditional construction methods such as wood or concrete masonry unit (CMU) construction. In mid-rise buildings ICFs are most commonly used for above-grade exterior walls. ICFs combine these six components into a single building system installed by one crew at the same time. In an ICF wall, the concrete mass is sandwiched between two layers of foam insulation.Ī traditional exterior concrete wall contains six building components: ICF construction is the successful marriage of two proven technologies: concrete and expanded polystyrene (EPS). Insulating concrete forms (ICF)-built mid-rise buildings can accept virtually any veneer. They can be used for almost any concrete wall-interior or exterior, below-grade or above-grade, short or tall. The interlocking modular units are dry-stacked into position and filled with concrete. ICFs are a permanent formwork system for reinforced concrete construction. In a place where construction demand is high, timelines are urgent, and the weather is cold several months of the year, ICFs are being used to deliver high-performance cost-effective buildings on schedule. However, Waterloo tells a different story. Many architects, builders, and owners understand ICFs deliver a better building faster, but they may also believe the materials increase the building’s overall cost. ![]() Further, all these structures have used insulated concrete forms (ICFs) in their design. In a community of only 100,000, approximately 80 mid-rise student residences, apartments, and multi-family buildings have been constructed-with 40 built within an area of less than 2.5 km 2 (1 mi 2). Over the last decade, something has been transforming the city of Waterloo, Ont. All photos courtesy Logix Insulated Concrete Forms Ltd. ![]()
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