ICF & Disaster Resilience
What You Should Know About ICF
A guide by the Insulating Concrete Formwork Association
How can I construct disaster resilient buildings? Will the property stand up to natural disasters?
We cannot ignore the simple fact that climate change is happening. Since 2003 the UK has experienced 10 of the warmest years, with 2022 being the hottest year on record. Unless we change, extreme weather events such as flooding, storms and record-breaking temperatures, will become common occurrences. We need to implement disaster resilient buildings and infrastructure that can adapt to cope with the new conditions.
The impact of climate change is dramatically affecting our environment. It is impossible to ignore the extremes in weather patterns and changing seasons. If we continue, we can expect winter months to become warmer and up to 30% wetter. While at the same time, our summer months will become hotter and most likely up to 60% drier.
Here we explain how an insulated solid wall construction method like ICF can stand up to natural disasters while at the same contributing towards lowering carbon emissions produced in buildings.
Disaster Resilient Buildings – Flood Proof Houses
When looking at UK climate, one of the biggest environmental risks links to the impact of flooding. Estimates show that damage from flooding could rise by a fifth equating to approximately £740 million in damage each year. In planning measures, property flood resilience should be seen as a priority.
When looking at extreme weather and flood proof house design, specifiers should look at all elements including home flood protection, waterproof membranes, watertight flood doors and flood-resistant windows. They should also consider the use of flood-resistant materials.
BS 851188-1:2019+A1:2021 Flood resistance products – Building products provides guidance on how to improve the flood performance of disaster resilient buildings while BS 851188-2:2019+A1:2021 covers flood defences and flood barriers. This looks at elements such as durable materials, Within the guidance, ICF is recommended as a suitable material for flood-resilient construction.
How do you create houses that offer flood resilience with ICF? ICF is a method that consists of large blocks made from an insulating material. During the installation process, the blocks quickly assemble by locking together to create the wall structure. You then pour concrete into a central cavity within the block. Once the concrete has set, the ICF blocks remain in place to create an incredibly strong and highly energy-efficient structure. If correctly designed and installed, the ICF structure with its concrete core has no voids to create a watertight shell. In the event of flood damage, the insulating material in the concrete floors and walls remain water-resistant which avoids long delays drying out the structure.
The solid concrete core also delivers greater impact resistance when designed and installed with rebar as specified by a structural engineer. This provides reassurance for the homeowner that disaster resilient buildings can withstand increased forces caused by flood water or even winds of up to 250 mph.
Fighting Climate Change
Of course, the problems associated with climate change cannot be attributed to one single cause, yet we can all make changes that improve our environment.
A good place to start is through our own living environment.
Most greenhouse gas emissions are related to energy use, and estimates show that the energy used to heat and cool our homes and workspaces accounts for approximately 35.7% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) is a ‘fabric first’ approach to construction. The blocks create a double layer of insulation that wraps around a building. This combines with the monolithic core, that sits in direct contact with the insulating material of the block, to create an airtight structure that delivers exceptionally low U values, excellent thermal mass and a consequent reduction in energy.
ICF structures can help achieve the new standards. A home built with ICF, when constructed to the manufacturer’s recommendations, will typically achieve an energy efficiency rating of A – equal to Passivhaus standards.
Overheating
Creating disaster and flood resistance buildings that take a fabric-first approach not only reduces how much energy can escape a building but also limits external heat or cold from entering the property. This enhances the energy efficiency of the building within and aids a reduction in the overheating of buildings.
This is a growing problem in UK buildings and Building Regulations Approved Document O was introduced to address the issue. The new document mainly looks at the role of glazing in a building to reduce overheating. Insulated Concrete Forms can help achieve the new standards.
The solid concrete core has a high storage capacity with low thermal conductivity. This enables the walls to absorb external day-to-night temperature fluctuations and slowly release them internally. This stabilises the internal temperature to allow the building to remain cool in the summer.
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Eco Credentials of ICF
Looking to the future, UK Concrete’s Roadmap has put plans into place that aim to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces during its manufacture. These techniques are delivering promising results and include both new production methods as well as low-carbon cement mixes.
Building with ICF can help to accelerate this roadmap. If designed correctly ICF will produce almost no construction waste which ends up in landfills. It requires fewer deliveries to get materials to site and reduces the amount of mechanical equipment used during the build.
The formwork also encases the concrete which means aesthetics are not as important. This allows you to include more waste material into the mix.
Contact Us
If you’re looking to build a home that is kind to the environment while also offering extreme weather and flood protection, why not get in touch and see how ICF can help on your next project.