Concrete
Environmental Building News (EBN) has identified states that cement
has a number of positive qualities. They write in GreenSpec that
concrete has a number of benefits: materials are abundant in nature,
it is durable, it has a high thermal storage capacity thereby
saving energy, and it needs no added finishing beyond sealing
it.
They
identify two problems with the material: it is energy intensive
to produce, and it is difficult to alter or demolish. They recommend
using fly ash instead of a portion of the Portland cement as well
as using local soil materials. Fly ash can be used as a 60% replacement
of Portland cement thereby reducing the embodied energy of the
product and increasing the workability of a conventional mix (GreenSpec
54).
Coal
Fly Ash
Master
Builder Technologies, Inc.
They
carry a number of products: two water-based, no VOC concrete
curing compounds (Master Cure 100 and 200); two concrete repair
mortars with high levels of fly ash content (Emaco T 415 and
Emaco T 430).
23700
Chagrin Blvd.
Cleveland,
OH 44122
(216) 831-6910
www.mbt.com
Trans-Ash
617
Shephard Dr.
P.O. Box 15396
Cincinnati, OH 45215
(513) 733-4770
Insulated
Concrete Forms (ICF)
Insulated
Concrete Forms are new to the building industry. They are steadily
gaining acceptance as an alternative to traditional wood framing.
The basic ICF system is an air space (which is later filled with
concrete) with two panels of foam on either side held apart by
a spacer (plastic, metal, or more foam). The panels interlock
with grooves or teeth to create the shape of the structure. Concrete
is then poured into in the air space between the foam.
Insulated
Concrete Forms have a number of benefits, they are durable (hurricane
and tornado proof), they have high insulation value from the walls,
and they are tight construction which reduces energy costs. A
few things to about when considering ICF include: make sure that
non ozone depleting foam panels are used (expanded polystyrene
foams don’t have ozone-depleting chemicals but extruded polystyrene
foams do; expansion and renovation is difficult; the production
of concrete is a highly energy intensive process; and potential
poor indoor air-quality from off-gasing of concrete.
Local
Contacts:
Concrete
Solutions, Inc.
We
are the premier source for ICF products and construction within
the Great Lakes region.
24272
Detroit Road
Westlake, OH 44145
Dan (440) 871-1263 (800) 835-1274
www.concrete-solutions.net
Omex
Development Inc.
Builder
and supplier of rubber shredded tire for backfill as well as
ICF. Andrea Morrison, CEO
3645
Warrensville Center Road, Ste 116
Shaker heights, OH
44122-5210
(216) 295-1015
National
Resources:
American
Polysteel Forms
Polysteel
forms concrete wall system uses tongue-and-groove interlocking
polystyrene foms into the finished structure, which has an R-value
of R-22+, and uses 25% - 50% less concrete than many systems.
No CFCs are used in the manufacture of the product.
525
East 2nd St.
PO Box 1888
Ames, IA 50010
(800) 977-3676
Back
to Green Building Materials
Back to Directory
