My one experience with ICF's was not good. The stacking and aligning of these styrofoam blocks to create a hollow wall, the bracing of it to hold it in place until the concrete was poured and then the placement of the concrete was all much slower than using masonry bearing walls which is a very time consuming way to "structure" a building. All this to get half of the insulation on either side of the concrete and THEN the brick and sheet rock got applied. It just seemed to be a system with so many architectural gymnastics required and its only benefit was to the subcontractor who, around here, has little competition for ICF work.
Nothing against concrete, but my next client who wants concrete somewhere inside of his exterior walls will be much better served, I think, by using tilt up concrete bearing walls with insulation board on the exterior behind the brick and gyp bd on furring channels on the inside IF the concrete won't do for the interior finish.
JMVHO
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Darrel Odom AIA, LEED AP
President
Odom Peckham Architecture, Inc.
Little Rock AR
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