ICF or insulated concrete form is a method of construction where the walls are fortified with EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) insulation on both sides to isolate the inside temperature of the home from the outside temperature.
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is that same material used to insulate the walls of a freezer or refrigerator – the same material used in ice buckets.
In a tropical setting like the Philippines, this is type of home design is ideal if you want to save on your air conditioning electrical consumption to cool the rooms.
By preventing the external heat from penetrating your rooms, your air conditioner will be on a relaxed state of operation as you will be able to maintain the cold climate inside your rooms.
To achieve a perfect union of the concrete core and the EPS insulation, you need to pour solid concrete mix between two EPS layers of usually two inch thick EPS. You cannot use concrete hollow blocks for your concrete middle core since the gap between the EPS and the concrete will become breeding grounds for mold. The two EPS layers have to sandwich the concrete middle core through tight bonding that can only be achieved by pouring fresh liquid concrete in between the two layers of EPS and allowing it to cure fully so that there will be a solid bond between the EPS and the concrete core. What you will have is a solid concrete wall usually 5-6 inches thick that is cured unto two layers of sandwiching EPS layers. This ICF wall which now total nine inches (5 inches solid concrete plus two layers of two inch EPS on both sides) will be topped by a half inch dry wall on both sides bringing your wall total thickness to 10 inches – now that’s a really thick wall and very strong one at that since it is made of solid poured concrete, is now your barrier between the hot tropical air outside and the cooled air inside your room which is cooled by your air conditioner. The drywall surface topping will adhere to the EPS using special solvents to prevent mold and make sure also to use brands that do not allow mold such as the hardiflex brand – a bit pricey but very beneficial in the long run. And since your the ICF wall will perfectly seal in your cold air inside then your air conditioner will be in a relaxed state of operation – cooling only the air when it gets warm again by the warm bodies of the people living inside and not from the hot air outside – this is the success principle behind the ICF home – saving the environment by lessening the air conditioner electrical bills by making your rooms cooler than the regular rooms. This ICF type of home is what you need if you decide to live in a tropical climate but want to have a cool environment when relaxing inside the home.
Please see our recently finished ICF home in Negros Oriental. Please do contact us if you plan to build an ICF home.
