Cascade Meadows Science Center
June 17th, 2010 | Project Showcase
| PROJECT NAME: | Cascade Meadow Science Center |
| LOCATION: | Rochester, MN |
| ARCHITECT: | LHB Corporation |
| CONTRACTOR: | Alvin E. Benike, Inc. |
| OWNER: | Cascade Meadow Wetland Corporation |
Project Details:
Quantity of Insulating Concrete Forms – 2,200 13″ Forms
Ready Mix used: 11,000 cubic yards
The Cascade Meadow Science Center is a research and education facility dedicated to environmental education, with a focus on energy, water and wetlands. Upon completion, the Center will house a reception area, interactive exhibit spaces, a large conference and meeting space, a science lab for the study of native wetlands, a conference room, and offices for staff and on-site educators. The grounds will feature a restored wetland and lake with outdoor learning stations and trails.
In pursuit of LEED® Platinum Certification, one component of the 16,000 square foot center is Reward® Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) technology for the above grade exterior walls. ICFs offer many sustainability benefits for both commercial and residential structures, including energy savings of up to 50-80 percent over traditional wood framed buildings. ICF walls have also been tested to withstand tornado winds exceeding 200 mph. They are far quieter and provide for a clean indoor air environment that eliminates the possibility of mold growth within the exterior walls.
“The Cascade Meadows Science Center will serve as a catalyst for meaningful and enduring learning that promotes sustainable living through exhibits, events, seminars, conventions and more. Cemstone and Reward are proud to play a role in this important and significant endeavor by demonstrating how the use of ICF technology can help create a more sustainable structure. The ICF portion of the Cascade Meadow Science Center went really smoothly. We’ve done several ICF projects together with Reward and Cemstone. It’s easy construction in terms of design – and our contractor has lots of ICF experience. The most important advantage for the building owner is energy efficiency and a higher R-value. In addition, ICF buildings are quieter inside, which is very important in many residential applications. Using concrete in an ICF building also helps contribute to LEED points. It’s also a benefit to LHB to have representatives from Reward and Cemstone available to answer questions. We’d recommend ICF construction – the buildings speak for themselves!”
Anne Ryan, Project Architect, LHB, Inc.
ICF Concrete Home Texas III
June 10th, 2010 | Project Showcase
Sorry for the few week hiatus, I was off relaxing and exploring the island of Maui, so its taken a bit to get back up to speed on what’s all going on. I come back home to Nebraska and next thing you know we are going to the Big 10… I shouldn’t go on vacation anymore.
Well I’ll do a quick picture update on a project with Leading Edge Building Products. They finished the concrete home in Texas we previously posted about while it was being constructed. (ICF Concrete Home Texas & ICF Concrete Home Texas II). Wow.
Concrete Home in the Mountain
May 6th, 2010 | Project Showcase
ICF Mountain Getaway
Sitting on top of a breezy mountain edge, overlooking valleys of Colorado, and surrounded by wildlife sits a newly finished insulated concrete form home, constructed by Brady Contracting and Developing. Talk about a getaway…I’ll wait to be invited for the weekend. Some unique features, which are highlighted in photos below, are the photovoltaic panels, battery backups, a gorgeous radius wall and a winding staircase.
Currently we are gathering energy use data. We will report that once that is shared with us if the owner doesn’t mind.
Located near Boulder, CO
About 1,100 13″ Reward ICFs used
ICF construction photos
Finish Photos
So there you have it. If I make it on the roof of that ICF house for a dinner party, I’ll be sure to let you all know.
Frank Theatres York, PA Update
April 8th, 2010 | Project Showcase
Here’s an updated on Frank Theatre in York, PA. This is a very popular project that is being followed on our blog so we wanted to post an update before the grand opening on the horizon. If you didn’t catch the first post, check out the beginning ICF construction of Frank Theatres.
We visited the theater last week with Chris P of Construction Supply Centers. They are progressing quite nicely now. The various aspects of finish work are well underway and it’s really starting to look like a theater now. Tim Boos, Project Manager with Warfel Construction said they had had some delays with the weather and were expecting to be ready to open the before the first week in June.
When walking through the individual theaters there is a unique “quietness” to them which is easily attributed to the mass of the insulating concrete forms walls. There was no need for any sort of spray foam on the walls dividing the individual theaters because of the use of Reward’s iForm. We would presume that was a significant savings in terms of labor and materials for the owners. The painters were in, touching up the main corridors and lobby area and there were contractors setting the big decorative columns in the main lobby. There’s a nice restaurant area in the front which will be an excellent convenience for the patrons of the theater.
We are looking forward to visiting the theater when it’s completed and excited for the Frank Theatre’s upcoming Grand Opening. Here are some follow up pictures with the exterior getting closer to completion, taken back in January.
ICF Concrete Home- Texas Part II
January 26th, 2010 | Project Showcase
ICFs can reduce heat and cooling tonnage
Homes of this size tend to require large heating and air conditioning systems which use quite a bit of electricity. The owners wanted to reduce the heating and air conditioning demands to have a very energy efficient home. Again, ICF provided the best option to achieve those goals along with other inherent advantages of ICF. Reward Wall Systems, Inc. 11” iForm ICF was chosen for its reputation, quality, ease of installation, and excellent local support from the ICF installer and local distributor.
ICF Exterior Walls
Exterior walls were placed in two phases. The 1st floor ICF wall was stacked and poured on the Insul-Deck foundation. Using a quality for, like the iForm, makes short work, even for a large home like this. Challenges such as curve walls and free standing wall sections are simplified due to the strength and ease of stacking. Reward’s Product Manual (one of the best in the business) and installation documentation makes calculating the relief cuts on the forms for curved walls a cinch.
After the framing crew installed the 1st floor interior walls and 2nd floor sub-floor, the 2nd floor exterior ICF walls were stacked and poured. The 2nd floor walls are basically a continuation of the 1st floor. There is one 2nd floor wall section that needed to be supported by structural steel due to the lack of an ICF wall below. Again, Reward’s Product Manual and engineering documentation aided the engineers in their calculations and these types of wall configurations are no problem with proper engineering and planning.
In total, approximately three truckloads of Reward Wall Systems, Inc. ICFs were used in this magnificent home.
Engineer: The Interfield Group, LLC
Builder: Watermark Builders and Developers, Inc.
ICF Installer: ICF Constructors, LLC
See last post of ICF Construction in Texas
Project Showcase: Waterside at Norris Lakes
November 19th, 2009 | Marketing, Project Showcase
Waterside Towers at Norris Lakes
Waterside Towers at Norris Lakes is one of the more recent projects that have been completed, especially of this size and significance. It was a sizable project, unique not just for the building materials and the location, set in in a peaceful getaway spot, but unique for the construction techniques and concrete testing the builder, Parks ICF Wall Systems, LLC performed.
The Waterside Towers, located North of Knoxville, Tennessee, presented many architectural challenges that were overcome by the strength properties of Reward ICFs. Designed to withstand seismic loads, the Waterside Towers utilized ICFs to provide extreme strength and resistance to environmental changes such as earthquakes and high winds that develop on the adjacent lake. The architect also used the noise reduction properties of ICFs for the interior unit, separation walls in order to keep noisy neighbors silent to condo owners. ICFs were also used in the elevator shaft to reduce noise transmission to the adjacent units.
Cold Weather Challenges Met
One of the greatest challenges faced by the crews of Parks ICF, on this project, was the weather. Having begun the project in October, their crews worked through the cold winter months to finish the tower in just over 3 months. The temperature dropped to just 22 degrees Fahrenheit during the project. Through the use of concrete accelerators and extensive compressing strength testing, our crews were able to finish ahead of schedule. (More on testing measures of concrete in later posts)
Waterside Towers Impact on Environment
Parks ICF Wall Systems, LLC is dedicated to protecting the environment and reducing the environmental impact of construction. The fragile ecosystems and undeveloped woodlands surrounding the Waterside at Norris Lake, sustains many different types of wildlife that can be greatly impacted by traditional construction methods. The profitability of the Waterside Towers depends on the the surrounding environment to bring in customers and tenants to the multi-hundred thousand dollar condos. Reward ICFs helped to minimize the effects on the environment and thus increase profitability. Also, in order to reduce emissions, the Towers minimized the size of their HVAC systems because of the energy efficiency of the ICF.
First Residential 17″ iForm Project
October 22nd, 2009 | From the Field, Project Showcase, Unique Applications
We’ve gotten some feedback from the field on our new 17” product line. This was the 1st use, for residential, of the 17” iForm, as these forms were about bought the day we released the product for sale! It’s for a home in the “Divide Ranch Community” way up on the mountains in Ridgeway, CO, built by Nick Miles Construction.
They were used for a foundation on a side of a steep hill. The engineer called for this size of ICF due to the large size of walls, the amount of back fill and the expansive soil type surrounding the building. The walls are 14 feet high and the concrete was placed in 3 lifts. Nick, the builder, said that he was “very impressed with the strength and stability of the block.”
Thanks Nick, we’ve done our research to make sure our forms remain an industry leading ICF!
We were lucky enough to meet this builder after he expressed his displeasure with a different brand of ICFs. He praised the pre-formed block and noted it was much easier in the field to work with as he did not have to assemble the forms. On a side note: Nick, had no trouble moving the forms about 50 yards from where the truck dropped them off, and the banding made them easier to move as well. Did you see the video of an ICF crew unloading a truck?
Thanks for the pictures and your feedback Nick! Would also like to thank Pat Tobin with Building Smart, LLC on his involvement with our inaugural 17″ residential project!
Currently the 17″ iForm has been a HUGE hit (pun WAS intended on that one) and we look forward to sharing more stories.
The New Standard for Sustainability. Tell the World.
- Story submitted by Pete H West/Pacific Regional Sales Manager
Frank’s Theatre in York, PA
October 13th, 2009 | Project Showcase
One application where ICF’s are seeing both increased interest and use is in multiplex movie theaters. The sound attenuation qualities of an ICF wall assembly are outstanding; a perfect application for movie theaters. We’ve all been to those old theaters where you can actually hear the movie next door. Very annoying. ICF wall assemblies help to prevent that from being an issue, and it’s getting the attention of theater owners and patrons alike.
In York, PA, Frank Theatres has a 13-plex theatre under construction. Originally slated to start construction in the spring, the project finally got under way earlier this summer.
Designed by Tom Burdick of ADW Architects in North Carolina, this project has over 72,000 square feet of ICF wall, with some of the walls reaching 36’ in total height. The entire perimeter of the building, along with the separation walls between each theater, uses Reward’s 13” iForm. The building will have a combination brick/TAFS exterior. Also the design team took advantage of Reward’s ledge form, which provides a 4 ½” ledge for application of the brick veneer while maintaining a fully insulated wall assembly.
The contractor performing the install, Rubright Construction in Shoemakerville, PA, settled on Reward not only because of the competitive pricing but because of the depth and breadth of support services offered from Reward and its exclusive distributor, Construction Supply Centers of New Holland Concrete (CSC.) in New Holland, PA. The Reward/CSC team has worked closely with the architect during the design phase, and has been an integral part of the construction process. Reward sent its Field Application Specialist, Darryl U, to work with Rubright during the start of construction. Darryl helped Rubright, who had no previous ICF experience, learn the “ins and outs” of working with Reward ICFs. Darryl assisted in training Rubright’s crew, helping to improve their overall efficiencies.
“Darryl has been great to work with,” noted Todd Moore, Project Manager with Rubright. “He’s a real source of knowledge and information. He taught us a lot when he was here, and he’s been easy to reach on the phone when I have questions.”
CSC has provided almost daily support to the Rubright crew, providing material for the project on a tight schedule, and visiting several times a week to address questions and monitor progress. Chris Perez, Sales Representative with CSC, has maintained close contact with Rubright, providing both technical and field information as needed.
Rubright has made significant progress in constructing the walls for the project so farm and the GC for the project, Warfel Construction in Lancaster, PA, has been pleased with the progress. The delay in starting construction has put a time crunch on the project but they are quickly moving forward. As more trades are integrated into the construction phase, I will update this blog with information on how other subs (electricians, plumbers, etc.,) are faring.
-Article Submitted by Tom Reilly, Reward RSM Northeast US
The New Standard of Sustainability. Tell the World.
Project Showcase: Louis Saekow Estate Part II
September 29th, 2009 | Project Showcase
Hopefully you’ve been following along from the previous post on the Saekow Estate. It’s clear the builders and the architect knew what they wanted when they designed this house.
Privacy Wall with Insulating Concrete Forms
This home also used insulating concrete forms in a way the installers and builder have not done before. The challenge was to provide the customer with over 600 linear feet of privacy wall 200 feet of which was “S” shaped, so as to adapt to the natural surroundings, without showing grout lines in hot and cold weather. The solution was ICFs. Since ICFs are insulating, they used them along with ready mixed concrete to build the walls, even the “S” shaped wall, and then simply applied stucco over the ICFs. The result was fantastic and a success.
Green Attributes
Energy efficiency is the most obvious priority when building with ICFs. You can spend a little more up front with materials cost, to save a lot in the future, especially when costs can be reduced along the construction cycle. With energy costs being uncontrollable, ICFs help customers control those costs by simply using less energy.
ICFs were chosen to meet the sustainable construction goals because of their durability, their resistance to the elements, i.e. bugs, water, wind, etc. The goal of this project was to create an Estate. The goal of an estate is to have longevity and durability as cornerstones, for the building to be around for generations to come. This home, also installed 3,800 sq. ft. of bamboo flooring…the fasted growing grass on the planet.
After one year of living in this house, Louis’s average monthly electric bill is $135 and his average monthly propane bill is $145. More specifically, his total one-year usage of electricity is 19,433 kilowatt-hours and his total one-year propane usage was 1,188 gallons (since cost of electricity and propane differs everywhere). His neighbors, who live in stick-built homes that are around 2,500 to 3,500 sq. ft. — way less than half his home — pay almost exactly what he pays for electricity and propane. And if you consider cubic-footage instead of just square footage, it’s even more impressive because his ceiling height downstairs is 12′ 4″ and upstairs is 10′ 7″ (There is no neighbor whose house has ceilings over 9′).
Since P&P has been building with ICFs for more than 10 years they have found a method to build an ICF home for the same cost as a traditionally built home. Over time they have been able to cut down on construction time which cuts down on construction costs. They have also been able to use materials such as zip ties and the Reward bracing and scaffolding in one piece to cut down on time. P&P strongly believes that efficiency on the job and in the office are the best ways to save time and money for both the customer and the company. They also believe that other builders who overprice ICF structures haven’t been able to realize the efficiencies, P & P have come to learn. Good planning and not over-ordering materials, as well as demanding quality materials from suppliers, helps with cutting down on costs. This was part of the decision to use ICFs; the enormous benefits both long and short term sealed the deal.
Project Showcase: Louis Saekow Estate
September 24th, 2009 | Project Showcase
A few projects come along every so often that every time you look at the pictures or hear background of the home, you are just in awe of the size, or the architecture and of the energy efficiency. The Louis Saekow Estate is one of those projects. He’s been living in the home for almost a full year now on top of Camano Island, Washington. The entire 8,200 square foot home used Reward ICFs INCLUDING the 600 foot privacy wall.
The 8,200 sq/ft Louis Saekow Estate is perched on top of one of the highest points on Camano Island. The home has an unobstructed 270 degree view of the San Juan Islands, the Cascade mountain range and the Olympic mountain range. This pristine setting provides some of Washington’s best sunrises and
sunsets and is an ideal location for a home with many windows for viewing all of Mother Nature’s glory. With that glory also come the fury; wind speeds in this location have been clocked at over 90 miles per hour on several occasions and observe some of the fiercest storms in Western Washington. So durability and safety was the first key point to address when designing this house, the second was Sustainability, and the third major criteria this house was built under, was the need for design flexibility and project aesthetics.
Durability/Safety- The home was constructed to withstand the harshest elements without reducing the quality of living inside the home. The home needed to be comfortable and quiet inside regardless of what the weather was like outside. This home was designed and built to last more than a lifetime; it needed to outlast all of the surrounding structures to earn the title of a true Estate. The permanence of ready mixed concrete and ICF’s was definitely the best option to achieve this lofty goal.
Sustainability- The home was designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly without sacrificing the luxuries modern technology has provided us with. Like many people, the owner realized that energy prices were uncontrollable; customers are forced to pay the energy rates set by the companies themselves. To harness these uncontrollable energy costs consumers must simply use less energy, and that is why insulating concrete forms were the clear choice for this home. The owner is expecting to lower the estate’s energy use by 60%, thus finally harnessing the uncontrollable costs of energy and satisfying this second objective.
Design Flexibility and Project Aesthetics- The home has very large windows with 12 foot ceilings downstairs and almost 11 foot ceilings upstairs. The main house is 7,300 square feet with an additional 600 sq ft of conditioned garage, and also a 1,200 sq. foot detached garage. The design of the home was to take on the look of a Mediterranean estate with large pillars and numerous arches. Large open spaces were also a necessity on the interior of the home along with barrel ceiling and many other intricate ceiling treatments. In order to provide the durability required by the weather while at the same time allowing for large windows and doors, insulating concrete forms were again the best choice.
Just to keep everyone on edge, the finished photos will be posted on Thursday so come back then. Also we’ll report to you on the types of energy use this massive estate is using. Unbelievable numbers. I’ll give you a sneak peak to keep you interested until then…
The New Standard of Sustainability. Tell the World.