You are on page 1of 20

Timber Framing Timber framing is an old natural building technology which uses heavy timbers

and joins them using mortise and tenon joints pegged with wood dowels, rather than smaller
dimensional lumber and nails or screws. The open bays of a timber frame wall can then be filled in
with straw bale, light-clay straw, cob, or any number of other materials.
Post and Beam Framing similar to timber framing in using larger timbers to carry roof and wall
weight over wider spaces, but relies on steel hardware joinery, more accessible to the amateur
builder.
Strawbale Straw bales can be stacked like bricks to make the walls of a house. We have built
both load-bearing (roof supported by the bales) and non-load-bearing straw homes.
Cob Cob is a mixture of sand, clay, and straw similar to adobe, but lumps of cob are applied wet
to build up a wall, bench, or as thermal mass around stoves. Like sculpting a home.
Light-Clay Straw Also called slip straw, clay is mixed with water to the consistency of paint,
and then is mixed with loose straw until every straw fiber is coated. The Straw-clay is then packed
into forms or wall cavities for insulation. Once dry, dense clay-straw can be directly plastered with
earth or lime plasters.
Earth bag Sand or gravel mixed hardened with clay can also be packed into polypropylene or
burlap feed bags that are stacked to build a high-mass wall. The wall is plastered to protect the
bags from UV degradation. Lends itself to sinuous wall shapes and/or buttressing. While burlap
bags are harder to come by, and the plastic ones not very natural, the embodied energy of the
polypro bags is low when considered as a durable part of a house.
Living Roof A living roof relies on soil as a sheltering mass and insulation from the elements,
allowing plants to grow on top of a roof (either tended like a garden or left wild). Soil is built up
over a waterproof membrane on an extra-sturdy roof. The soil and plants can help keep a building
cool in summer and warm in winter using the natural effects of evapo-transpiration and thermal
mass. Bonus: goats, sheep, chickens, and rabbits can nibble on your roof!
Wattle and Daub Wattles are made from flexible wood or fibers and are woven loosely to
create an underlying structure for a wall (imagine a loosely woven basket). Plaster is then daubed
onto the wattle to finish the wall and provide thermal mass. Straw wattle is a better-insulated
variation where clay-embedded long straw fibers are woven around light-weight uprights and then
plastered.
Natural Earth Plaster and Lime Plaster Most of the above techniques are finished off with a
natural plaster. Earthen plaster is made from clay, sand, and straw (and sometimes other fibers
and materials such as cattail fluff, manure, and wheat paste). Lime plaster is made with sand,
hydrated lime, and sometimes fiber (straw, animal hair, etc.). Lime is made by heating limestone
in a kiln and has been used since ancient times, though we generally use industrially-produced
bagged lime. Lime plaster has a much higher embodied energy than earthen, and requires more
caution in installation owing to its caustic nature, but is much more weatherproof than earth
plaster and has less embodied energy than cement stucco.
Rubble Trench, Urbanite, Gravel Bags, and Frost Protected Foundations One of the
trickiest and most laborious parts of natural building is the foundation. We have employed a few
techniques to minimize the amount of concrete used in our buildings, including foam blocks,
stones, and other balast (concrete has high embodied energy and produces greenhouse gases in
its production).

Installation of an earthen floor


The rubble trench is a lower-embodied-energy alternative which primarily employs local limestone
gravel, tamped well as the trench is filled, to support the weight of a house above. Perforated drain
tubing buried in the gravel at the base of the trench drains surplus soil moisture away from the
structure to avoid frost heave. By lining the trench with 2 styrofoam insulation, the trench can be
limited to two foot of depth (where our local frost line is officially four feetthis is the Frostprotected shallow foundation), relying on the heat radiating into the ground from the house
above, and the foundation insulation to hold it in, to avoid the need for more depth. For protection
against rats and other unwanted tunnelers, we may also include metal skirting to line the trench.
To build the foundation above-ground, we have used Urbanite (reclaimed busted concrete hunks,
pieced together and mortared in place), gravel bags (polypropylene bags filled with gravel, stacked
brick-style), and poured concrete or block stem walls (often using insulated forms).
Other buildings at Dancing Rabbit sit on concrete piers, a style which economizes on the material
and labor input of the in-ground foundation. One gives up a connection to the earth as a thermal
mass, but with a well-insulated floor, the structure can still be made energy-efficient.
Earth Floors Also called adobe floors, an earthen floor is made from the same material as cob
or earth plaster and is troweled to a smooth finish. Once dry, it is oiled with multiple coats of
linseed oil, which hardens it against wear and even leaves it mop-able.

In the future we hope to use some of these other technologies as well:


Adobe Adobe, like cob, is made from straw, clay, and sand but is sun dried into bricks and then
stacked to form walls. It is generally finished with an earth plaster.
Rammed Earth Earth can be pounded into forms to create massive walls to form a house. While
utilizing minimal resources, it can be very labor intensive.
Earthships Earthships are a method of rammed earth where earth is rammed into used tires
that are stacked to form walls. We have used this technique for a retaining wall on an earthbermed house.
Thatch Thatch is used throughout the world for walls and roofs. We have experimented just a
bit with using native prairie grasses for thatching, but have room for lots more testing.
At Dancing Rabbit we also use more mainstream ecological building techniques such as stick
framing (from reclaimed and local lumber), blown-in cellulose (both wet and dry), drywall, and
wood siding (salvaged from old barns). We have even salvaged an old Grain Bin that sat on our
property when we bought it, and turned it into a two-apartment straw bale building. Some
foundations are concrete, and include concrete block walls (for cisterns and earth berming). Most
of our roofs are steel, which is ideal for water catchment systems.

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

SSIP is short for Structural Insulated Panel, also know as a Stress Skin
panel. Physically, an SIP is composed of a sandwich of two layers of a
sheathing material (typically OSB) surrounding a foam insulating material
(typically polystyrene). Although each of the component materials is weak
on its own, the sandwich is strong because its physical form makes it so
that when one skin starts to bend, the other one has to stretch (ie pull
apart), and although OSB has little strength against bending, it has a lot of
strength against being pulled apart. Of course a big cut in the skin near
any place the panel encounters a bending force will result in complete
failure of the panel. In spite of this, we know of no case of SIP failure.
Environmentally, SIPs are touted as saving wood as compared to stick
framing, and although that is clearly possible, it seems to depend on whose
SIP system you use and the particular details of the structure. At the
moment we have no good data on this. Even if there are wood savings,
many debate the environmental benefits of the component materials: OSB
and polystyrene board (see materials for more info). These issues could
turn in favor of SIPs if there was a good source of FSC certified (or
equivalent) OSB and the use of recycled content polystyrene. Although
these are valid points, the alternative systems have their own drawbacks,
and there is no strong argument for any system. One advantage of foam
board insulation is that it is very air tight and has a high R-value per inch of
material, so a 12" SIP will likely perform better than any comparable 12"
construction system.
The cost of SIP framing appears to be comparable to stick framing: the
materials are much more expensive, but there is significantly less labor
involved. A number of sources have reported cost savings using SIPs, but
all seem to agree that the savings only comes with experience. To get
significant cost and materials savings may mean designing the shape of
the house with SIPs in mind, so custom buildings may not see much
savings from using SIPs.
ICFs
Insulated concrete forms are hollow, block like structures that stack
together like bricks and are then filled with concrete. These forms are then
left in place to function as insulation for the wall, resulting in a wall that is
better insulating while also using less concrete than a standard poured
concrete wall (the implication is that typical walls use more concrete than

necessary, since the ICF add little strength, but I've never seen this topic
discussed.) Most ICFs are composed of virgin polystyrene, but at least one
product (Rastra) uses recycled polystyrene. There is also at least two
products (Faswall and Durisol) that use wood chips instead of
polystyrene. Since concrete has little insulating value, the insulating value
of the finished wall is due to the ICF itself. A typical wall is at least 50%
concrete, so the R-value of the wall is much less than other system which
consist of a higher percentage of insulation for the equivalent thickness.
Although it is possible to use ICFs for all a buildings walls, it generally only
makes sense to use them below ground in the case where the space needs
to be insulated since no other wall system works below ground. Exceptions
to this would be areas that have an exceptionally high wind load, and areas
where wood is not generally available, or someone who just wanted to
avoid using wood. The typical use of ICFs would be in heated basements
and daylight basements.
ICFs are often considers a "green" building material, but since both
concrete and polystyrene come with a significant environmental burden,
this is not an easy argument to make, other than as a direct replacement
for solid concrete walls.
ICFs have a fairly high amount of thermal mass, but because both sides of
the wall are insulated, the thermal mass isn't well exposed to the interior,
limiting its ability as a temporary heat storage material.
Strawbale
Building with straw bales is not a new idea, but was essentially not
practiced at all until it had a revival in the 1970s. Straw bales are produced
by the same baling machine that makes hay bales, but contain only the
stalk of the grass, not the nutritious top part of the plant, and are typically
produced after the grain (or hay) has already been harvested. Straw is
considered a waste material, although this may be more due to the fertilizer
intensive industrial style of agriculture than an inherent property as many
organic farmers will till crop residue back into the soil to restore nutrients
and maintain the "airy" nature of the soil. Even if straw isn't really a waste
product, it seems likely that some of it (possibly even a large percentage of
it) could be harvested as bales by using other waste organic material to

enhance the soil. (note: since I've yet to find an organic farmer to ask, I
don't know how much of a big deal this is).
Strawbale buildings come in two basic varieties: load bearing, in which the
bales hole up the roof, and non-load bearing, in which a post-and-beam
structure holds up the roof. In either case, the bales are stacked like
bricks, and then finished inside and out with a plaster of some sort, either
a cement stucco, a lime plaster stucco or an earthen plaster. For load
bearing structures, the bales are heavily compressed before applying the
stucco. In spite of this compression, over time the roof load tends to
transfer to the rigid stucco. In both system the lateral loading (sideways,
typically shaking force applied to the walls by wind gusts or earthquakes is
also taken by the stucco. Since the stucco is brittle, any force applied to
the wall that is large enough to cause movement (beyond the small amount
the stucco can tolerate) will result in cracks in the stucco, greatly reducing
its strength. Because of this, in areas with significant lateral (sideways)
loading, it is common to build only non-load bearing structures.
Since bales come in two sizes: "two string" and "three string". The actual
dimension varies somewhat depending on the baler used. Two string bales
are generally 18 thick, 14-16" high, and 32-39" long. Three string bales
are 24" thick, 16" high, and 42-48" long. Because these create very thick
walls, the designer must be aware of the space they take up in placement
of windows and doors, especially near inside corners. Complex exterior
shapes can be very problematic, and so straw bale buildings tend to be
simple. When small bump-outs or large areas of glass are desired, that
part is often done as stick-frame. Although it is possible to modify a bale
before using it, doing so is tedious and results in a much less compressed
bale, so designers will usually try to lay out the floor plan to allow for as
many whole bales to be used as possible. This could involve either making
the dimension of the house be divisible into whole bales, or in the case of
non-load bearing structures, making the posts on four foot centers so bales
fit between them.
Bale homes have very deep window sills. In most climates it is best to
locate windows to the outside of the bale so as to minimize any exterior sill
where water might collect. Doors can be located on either surface, since
there is only ground under the door sill. Both window and door liners can

be either perpendicular to the window (which is the easiest to build), or can


be at an angle which will allow more light to come in.
A significant issue for strawbale is keeping the bales dry, both during
construction and for the life of the structure. Although wood is also
susceptible to rot, straw has a much greater surface area exposed to the
air, and hence will rot dramatically faster than wood. Because of this low
tolerance for moisture, bale wall are usually built to be much more
permeable than stick frame walls. This generally means that large
overhangs much be used to keep rain off the structure, as stucco is fairly
absorbent. These overhangs may reduce both the potential for solar gain,
and the ability to amount of light that comes in the windows. Many of the
recent straw bale buildings are in hot dry climates where these limitations
aren't a problem.
Bale walls were once advertised as having an R-value of 50, but the
currently accepted figure is more like 30, which is the equivalent to about
an 8-9" insulated stick frame wall. Non-load bearing bale structures are
typically a wood post and beam, but steel is also used. The posts can
either be solid wood, or constructed box columns made of smaller
dimensioned wood (2x4s or 2x6s) on two sides and plywood on the other
two. Because the inside of a bale wall is plastered, there is a significant
amount of added thermal mass-- typically less than would be needed for a
fully passive solar house, but still a sizeable contribution (how much? look
this up...)
At the present time (2007), there is not one, or even two standard ways to
build with bales even if you restrict yourself to the more common non-load
bearing variety. There are different kinds of posts that are used, and
different ways to integrate those posts in with the bales. As time goes on,
its is likely that some kind of standard will evolve, at least regionally: until
then don't expect to look up how to build with bales and find one way to do
it.
The conventional wisdom is that it is possible to build a bale house quite
cheaply, and unfortunately this isn't the case. The exterior skin of the
house typically only accounts for 15% of the total cost of the house, so
unless you're planning on doing most everything yourself and keeping the
quantity of finish details to a minimum, you'll find that bale houses usually
cost the same as standard construction.

Adobe/Cob
Both adobe and cob are mixtures of sand, clay and straw, which when dry
forms a wall that is not unlike concrete--not nearly as strong, but less heat
conductive. Still, compared to an insulated wood framed house, neither of
these materials is a very good insulator. The lure of these materials is that
they are readily available, non-toxic and decompose easily. Unfortunately
that also means that great care must be taken to protect the walls, lest they
decompose before the desirable lifetime is over.
Adobe is typically constructed in blocks, dried in the sun, creating a home
that is usually fairly conventional looking, while cob is generally applied by
hand until the wall is tall enough, often built into whimsical curving
structures. In each case, sand provides compressive strength, straw
provides the "breaking" strength, and clay (possibly with some Portland
cement added) acts as the glue to hold the whole mess together.
because of their low insulation value, both of these building methods
should have added insulation somewhere. If the insulation is on the
outside, both of these wall systems will create a large amount of thermal
mass in the house--not necessarily in the best possible place for it, but
presumably still acceptable (find out more about this...)
Papercrete etc
Papercrete is just adobe/cob that uses recycled paper in place of the
straw. Unlike cob or adobe, papercrete builders are trying to use a high
quantity of paper so that the walls have a high insulation value. The
limitation here is that as the quantity of sand and cement go down the
resulting material grows weaker. It seems likely that it is not possible to
build a wall with papercrete, that is both structurally strong and highly
insulating (although its certainly easier if you don't have to deal with
earthquakes, hurricanes and large snow loads).
Rammed Earth
Rammed earth is even more like concrete than adobe or cob, in that is is
mixture of clay, sand, gravel and often either lime or Portland cement
added for strength. Because of the poor insulating value of the resulting
wall, the only practical rammed earth wall system requires it to be some

kind of sandwich around an insulating material (polystyrene is the obvious


choice, since rammed earth absorbs water).
Like adobe & cob, rammed earth has a very large thermal mass. An uninsulated rammed earth structure will perform quite well in any climate the
is sunny almost every day because it will absorb heat from the sun, raising
its effective R-value dramatically. In the lack of the sun's radiant energy, the
wall will tend to settle at the average daily temperature and stay
there...presenting a constantly cold surface during cold weather. The
downside to having a large amount of thermal mass is that you can't easily
change the temperature even if you want to: once the house gets too cold
or too hot it tends to stay that way for a couple of days.
Final thoughts
Each of these building techniques has its own user groups and
cheerleaders, and each group will claim their building technique is better
than everyone else's. Needless to say, they're all wrong, because each
has its own unique set of tradeoffs. In considering each of the techniques,
you need to not only evaluate their relative merit, but to figure out whether
you can find the materials and expertise to build in that style. If you live in
an areas with building code, you may also find the building department not
especially open to alternative construction techniques they are not familiar
with. Although not insurmountable (patience and charm help), it can add a
significant burden to the construction process.

Off-site fabrication[edit]
Off-Site fabrication is a process that incorporates prefabrication and pre-assembly. The process
involves the design and manufacture of units or modules, usually remote from the work site, and
the installation at the site to form the permanent works at the site. In its fullest sense, off-site
fabrication requires a project strategy that will change the orientation of the project process
from construction to manufacture to installation. Examples of off-site fabrication are wall panels
for homes, wooden truss bridge spans, airport control stations.

DIMENSIONS OF SIPS

In the United States, SIPs tend to come in sizes from 4 feet (1.22 m) to 24 feet (7.32 m) in width.
Elsewhere, typical product dimensions are 300, 600, or 1,200 mm wide and 2.4, 2.7, and 3 m
long, with roof SIPs up to 6 m long. Smaller sections ease transportation and handling, but the
use of the largest panel possible will create the best insulated building. At 1520 kg/m, longer
panels can become difficult to handle without the use of a crane to position them, and this is a
consideration that must be taken into account due to cost and site limitations. Also of note is that
when needed for special circumstances longer spans can often be requested, such as for a long
roof span. Typical U.S. height for panels is eight or nine feet (2.44 to 2.75 m). Panels come in
widths ranging from 4 to 12 inches thick and a rough cost is $4$6/ft2 in the U.S.[4] In 4Q 2010,
new methods of forming radius, sine curve, arches and tubular SIPs were commercialized. Due
to the custom nature and technical difficulty of forming and curing specialty shapes, pricing is
typically three or four times that of standard panels per foot. [5][6]
EPS is the most common of the foams used and has an R-value (thermal resistance) of about 4
Km2/W per 25 mm thickness, which would give the 3.5 inches (89 mm) of foam in a 4.5-inchthick (110 mm) panel an R value of 13.8 (caution: extrapolating R-values over thickness may be
imprecise due to non-linear thermal properties of most materials). This at face value appears to
be comparable to an R-13 batt of fiberglass, but because in a standard stick frame house there is
significantly more wall containing low R value wood that acts as a cold bridge, the thermal
performance of the R-13.8 SIP wall will be considerably better.
The air sealing features of SIP homes resulted in the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy
Star program to establish an inspection protocol in lieu of the typically required blower door test
to assess the home's air leakage. This serves to speed the process and save the
builder/homeowner money.
Insulating concrete form or insulated concrete form (ICF) is a system
of formwork for reinforced concrete usually made with a rigidthermal insulation that stays in place
as a permanent interior and exterior substrate for walls, floors, and roofs. The forms are
interlocking modular units that are dry-stacked (without mortar) and filled with concrete. The units
lock together somewhat like Lego bricks and create a form for the structural walls or floors of a
building. ICF construction has become commonplace for both low rise commercial and high
performance residential construction as more stringent energy efficiency and natural disaster
resistant building codes are adopted. ICFs may be used with frost protected shallow foundations
(FPSF).
Contents
[hide]

1 Development

2 Construction

3 Characteristics
o

3.1 Energy efficiency

3.2 Strength

3.3 Sound absorption

3.4 Fire protection

3.5 Indoor air quality

3.6 Environmental sensitivity

4 Building process
o

4.1 Floors and foundations

4.2 Walls

4.3 Plumbing and conduit

5 Cost

6 References

7 External links

Development[edit]
The ICF construction technique was first developed in Europe following World War II as an
inexpensive and durable way to rebuild damaged structures. The first patent for an insulated
stay-in-place formwork for concrete was registered in the early 1940s using recycled waste wood
and cement as the insulating material. This patent was registered by August Schnell and Alex
Bosshard in Switzerland. The first polystyrene ICF forms were developed in the late 1960s with
the expiration of the original patent and the advent of modern foam plastics. Canadian contractor
Werner Gregori filed the first patent for a foam concrete form in 1966 with a block "measuring 16
inches high by 48 inches long with a tongue-and-groove interlock, metal ties, and a waffle-grid
core."[1]
The adoption of ICF construction has steadily increased since the 1970s, though it was initially
hampered by lack of awareness, building codes, and confusion caused by many different
manufacturers selling slightly different ICF designs rather than focusing on
industry standardization. ICF construction is now part of most building codes and accepted in
most jurisdictions in the developed world.

Construction[edit]

Insulating concrete forms are manufactured from any of the following materials:

Polystyrene foam (most commonly expanded or extruded)

Polyurethane foam (including soy-based foam)[2]

Cement-bonded wood fiber

Cement-bonded polystyrene beads

Cellular concrete

Reinforcing steel bars (rebar) are usually placed inside the forms before concrete is poured to
give the concrete flexural strength, similar to bridges and high-rise buildings made of reinforced
concrete. Like other concrete formwork, the forms are filled with concrete in 1-foot to 12-foot high
"lifts" to manage the concrete pressure and reduce the risk of blowouts.
After the concrete has cured, the forms are left in place permanently to provide a variety of
benefits, depending on materials used:

Thermal insulation

Soundproofing

Surface burning characteristics

Space to run electrical conduit and plumbing. The form material on either side of the
walls can easily accommodate electrical and plumbing installations.

Backing for drywall or other finishes on the interior and stucco, brick, or other siding on
the exterior

Improved indoor air quality

Regulates humidity levels and mitigates mold growth (hygric buffer)

Characteristics[edit]

Energy efficiency[edit]

Minimal, if any, air leaks, which improves comfort and reduces heat loss compared to
walls without a solid air barrier

High thermal resistance (R-value) typically above 3 Km/W (in American customary
units: R-17[3]); this results in saving energy compared with uninsulated masonry
(seecomparison)

Continuous insulation without thermal bridges or "insulation gaps", as is common in


framed construction

Thermal mass, when used well and combined with passive solar design, can play an
important role in further reductions in energy use, especially in climates where it's common
to have outside temperatures swing above inside temperatures during the day and below at
night.

Strength[edit]

Insulating concrete forms create a structural concrete wall, either monolithic or post and
beam, that is up to ten times stronger than wood framed structures.

Structural integrity for better resistance to forces of nature, compared to framed walls.

The components of ICF systems both the poured concrete and the material used to
make the ICF do not rot when they get wet.

Sound absorption[edit]
ICF walls have much lower rates of acoustic transmission. Standard thickness ICF walls have
shown sound transmission coefficients (STC) between 46 and 72 compared to 36 for standard
fiberglass insulation and drywall. The level of sound attenuation achieved is a function of wall
thickness, mass, component materials and air tightness.

Fire protection[edit]
ICF walls can have four- to six-hour fire resistance rating and negligible surface burning
properties

Indoor air quality[edit]


ICF walls can regulate humidity levels, mitigate the potential for mold and facilitate a more
comfortable interior while maintaining high thermal performance.

Environmental sensitivity[edit]
ICF walls can be made with a variety of recycled materials that can minimize the environmental
impact of the building.

Building process[edit]
ICF construction is less demanding, owing to its modularity. Less-skilled labor can be employed
to lay the ICF forms, though careful consideration must be made when pouring the concrete to
make sure it consolidates fully and cures evenly without cracking. Unlike traditional wood beam
construction, no additional structural support other than temporaryscaffolding is required for
openings, doors, windows, or utilities, though modifying the structure after the concrete cures
requires special concrete cutting tools.

Floors and foundations[edit]


ICF walls are conventionally placed on a monolithic slab with embedded rebar dowels connecting
the walls to the foundation.
ICF decking is becoming an increasingly popular addition to general ICF wall construction. ICF
decking weighs up to 40% less than standard concrete flooring and provides superior insulation.
ICF decking can also be designed in conjunction with ICF walls to form a continuous monolithic
structure joined together by rebar. ICF deck roofs are less common, as it is difficult to pour
concrete on an angled surface.[4]

Walls[edit]
ICF walls are constructed one row at a time, usually starting at the corners and working toward
the middle of the walls. End blocks are then cut to fit so as to waste the least material possible.
As the wall rises, blocks are staggered to avoid long vertical seams that can weaken the
polystyrene formwork.[5] Structure frames known as bucks are placed around openings to give
added strength to the openings and to serve as attachment points for windows and doors.
Interior and exterior finishes and facades are affixed directly to the ICF surface or tie ends,
depending on the type of ICF. Brick and masonry facades require an extended ledge or shelf
angle at the main floor level, but otherwise no modifications are necessary. Interior ICF
polystyrene wall surfaces must be covered with drywall panels or other wall coatings. [6] During
the first months immediately after construction, minor problems with interior humidity may be
evident as the concrete cures, which can damage the drywall. Dehumidification can be
accomplished with small residential dehumidifiers or using the building's air conditioning system.
Depending on the experience of the contractor and their quality of work, improperly installed
exterior foam insulation could be easy access for groundwater and insects. To help prevent these
problems, some manufacturers make insecticide-treated foam blocks and promote installation of
drainage sheeting and other methods for waterproofing. Drain tiles are installed to eliminate
water.

Plumbing and conduit[edit]


Plumbing and electrical conduit can be placed inside the forms and poured into place,
though settling problems could cause pipes to break, creating costly repairs. For this reason,
plumbing and conduit are usually embedded directly into the foam before the wall coverings are
applied. A hot knife is commonly used to create openings in the foam to lay piping and cabling,
while ICFs made from other materials are typically cut or routed with simple carpentry tools.

Cost[edit]
The initial cost of using ICFs rather than conventional construction techniques is sensitive to the
price of materials and labor, but building using ICF can generally add 3 to 5 percent in
construction cost over building using wood frame. [7] In most cases ICF construction will cost
about 40% less than conventional (basement) construction because of the labor savings from
combining multiple steps into one step. Above grade, ICF construction is typically more
expensive, but when adding large openings, ICF construction becomes very cost effective. Large
openings in conventional construction require large headers and supporting posts, whereas ICF
construction reduces the cost, as only reinforcing steel is needed directly around the opening.
ICF construction can allow up to 60% smaller heating and cooling units to service the same floor
area, which can cut the cost of the final house by an estimated $0.75 per square foot. So, the
estimated net extra cost can be as much as $0.25 to $3.25. [8][9] ICF homes can also qualify for tax
credits, further lowering the costs.
ICF buildings are less expensive over time, as they require less energy to heat and cool the
same size space compared to a variety of other common construction methods.
Additionally, insurance costs can be much lower, as ICF homes are much less susceptible to
damage from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, fires, and other natural disasters. Maintenance
and upkeep costs are also lessened, as ICF buildings do not contain wood, which can rot over
time or be attacked by insects and rodents.[10]

Woodskin: The Flexible Timber Skin

21

APR2013

by Nicky Rackard

Building Technology and Materials MammaFotogrammaplywood Timber Wood

426
Share on email

Courtesy of
MammaFotogramma
Have you ever wanted to create delicate, complex shapes from plywood, but cant because its too stif
and unforgiving? Well all that might soon change, thanks to Milan-based design

studio MammaFotogramma. They have created a type of flexible, Woodskin triangular tiles of
Russian plywood.
Read more about Woodskin after the break
Woodskin originated from a submission the studio made to open source design competition,
Autoprogettazione 2.0. Inspired by the potential they saw in the material, team-members Giulio
Masotti and Gianluca Lo Presti incorporated the material into the design of a rock-climbing gym in
Montreal, which they were working on. However, while the material was there in concept, the
exact manufacturing technique had still to be worked out. To do this, the two moved to Montreal and
lived near the site of the gym, so they could experiment with diferent materials and compounds to
perfect the design. The result is a sheet of Russian plywood, routed into a series of a series of
triangular tiles, held together by a vinyl mesh.

Courtesy of
MammaFotogramma
At that time we were looking for a solution that would fulfill our need to create complex shapes says
Masotti. What we created was a skin that would allow us to focus on the structure and would adapt
to it, leaving the builder the total control with the flexibility to change the forms at any moment during
the whole process.

At the moment, the design of Woodskin is patent pending and the group are pressing forward with
developing it. The team have begun a collaboration with Biffi carpentry in Milan; they hope to
investigate other possible uses for the materials such as cladding and flexible walls.

Courtesy of
MammaFotogramma
Thanks to new technologies, structures are getting much like our own bodies, Masotti says. Here is
the skeleton, its joints and muscles expanding and contracting behind our skin, defining our

movements and posture. WoodSkin is simply a convenient and innovative way of rendering these
visible.
via MammaFotogramma, Wired

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of Vimeo MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Courtesy of MammaFotogramma

Cite:Rackard, Nicky. "Woodskin: The Flexible Timber Skin" 21 Apr 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 08 Jul 2014.
<http://www.archdaily.com/?p=362951>

You might also like