![]() Where I think the system starts to make a lot of sense is in residential conditions. You need to have a fire-rated wall between units, and you are required to have a minimum STC of 50. You may be wondering, like I am, about how ICFs compare to traditional concrete systems or wood in terms of cost and environmental impact. There seems to be a lack of unbiased information about the system, so finding accurate data is difficult, making it impossible for me to say for sure at this point. I found it quite effective to have so many walls installed and roughed prior to having the roof on. ![]() Above is a demising wall between hotel rooms with metal framing in the background which were the interior walls within the room. ![]() Some Cons of ICF: More exspensive than wood, loss of square footage due to thickness of wall, and MEP Rough-in. Some Pros of ICF: Fire safety, mold resistance, sound and fire rating between units, longer lifespan than wood, faster than traditional concrete systems, R-Value (x%), disaster “resistant.” The project I visited is a hotel in a suburban environment with a relatively basic design. The exterior walls, stairwells, shafts, and walls between units were built using ICF with a floor system done in precast concrete plank. ![]() I assumed that using ICFs would constrain you to very “blockish,” non-flexible design, but I was quite surprised to learn that columns and steel beams can actually be incorporated to create higher ceilings, mezzanines, and balconies. ![]()
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