huangyhg

icf (insulated concrete form) wall design
hi,
we are in the concept design stage for a single storey nursing home. the roof is pre-engineered wood trusses and we are evaluating whether to go with wood stud wall and conventional concrete frost walls or icf wall from roof to footing.
does anyone have any comments on the icf approach and where can design information for this be found.
thanks.
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from a structural perspective i'm not sure what the big deal is. they are classified as division 03131 permanent formwork, so really just a concrete wall built in a polystyrene form, tying the reinforcing (verticals) is a lot like reinforced concrete block work. systems are proprietory with icbo, nehrp, ccmc, evaluation reports/approvals etc. having said all that we've done a number up to 4 storeys with hollow core slab floors etc., .... personally i don't see the economics especially as a foundation wall element. i feel they make our roles as eor more difficult, there's a lot of different systems out there.
i've seen one icf wall, and to be honest, it looked like junk. however, i think it was the contractors who did a terrible job - nothing was square or plumb.
so i would recommend getting references from at least 3 other successful projects that the contractor has done before selecting an icf wall system.
from a finish point of view, you will have to accomodate outlets, receptacles, wall final finish, picture hanging, windows, etc. will the wall need to be furred out to hide electrical? are there a lot of windows? what will the final wall finish be?
sperling the foam interior of the blocks typically has molded strips to attach the drywall. the oultets and wiring are cut into the foam. the windows and doors are installed in bucks the walls are framed around.

that is a much improved system than i am familiar with. the firm i work for has spec'd/designed icf bearing wall systems. typically for storage, vehicle repair, small warehouse type buildings. the a/m/e people here are not aware of such improvements.

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