Contemporary concrete building systems
Whether they think of it as “building green” or “sustainability,” today’s consumers expect homes and other low-rise structures to have minimal environmental impact, yet meet or exceed their lifestyle needs. They want properties offering comfort and security with low energy bills and low maintenance. They also demand healthy interiors that promote well being. And they want all of this in an attractive package.
Contemporary concrete building systems offer features that purchasers and builders value; strong and solid construction that provides comfortable shelter from typical weather, and minimizes property damage while protecting occupants from extreme weather, like natural disasters. Yet strength and durability alone are not enough: the systems have to be easy to design and build and be versatile to suit any architectural style. Concrete systems are that and more.
They form tight building envelopes that minimize air infiltration, simplify the addition of insulation, and provide thermal mass for more consistent temperatures and decreased energy usage. This is beneficial from an environmental standpoint, and can contribute toward a building’s greenness in many rating systems and some codes.
Even though many concrete building systems have been around for a long time, consumers (and some builders) may not be aware of them. Or they may have only a limited understanding of them. PCA began a targeted promotion of concrete systems for residential applications in the mid-1990s, intended to introduce a new audience of buyers and builders to the wide variety of structural concrete products suitable for building homes. Systems included concrete masonry (“block”) and poured in place concrete (removable forms), precast and tilt-up, shotcrete, insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) which is a lightweight concrete formed as blocks or panels. Construction of above grade walls for concrete homes increased from about 3% at that time to nearly 11.1% in 2008, or about one out of every 9 homes built.
Whether they think of it as “building green” or “sustainability,” today’s consumers expect homes and other low-rise structures to have minimal environmental impact, yet meet or exceed their lifestyle needs. They want properties offering comfort and security with low energy bills and low maintenance. They also demand healthy interiors that promote well being. And they want all of this in an attractive package.
Contemporary concrete building systems offer features that purchasers and builders value; strong and solid construction that provides comfortable shelter from typical weather, and minimizes property damage while protecting occupants from extreme weather, like natural disasters. Yet strength and durability alone are not enough: the systems have to be easy to design and build and be versatile to suit any architectural style. Concrete systems are that and more.
They form tight building envelopes that minimize air infiltration, simplify the addition of insulation, and provide thermal mass for more consistent temperatures and decreased energy usage. This is beneficial from an environmental standpoint, and can contribute toward a building’s greenness in many rating systems and some codes.
Even though many concrete building systems have been around for a long time, consumers (and some builders) may not be aware of them. Or they may have only a limited understanding of them. PCA began a targeted promotion of concrete systems for residential applications in the mid-1990s, intended to introduce a new audience of buyers and builders to the wide variety of structural concrete products suitable for building homes. Systems included concrete masonry (“block”) and poured in place concrete (removable forms), precast and tilt-up, shotcrete, insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) which is a lightweight concrete formed as blocks or panels. Construction of above grade walls for concrete homes increased from about 3% at that time to nearly 11.1% in 2008, or about one out of every 9 homes built.
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