ICF - Introduction
Insulated concrete formwork (ICF) is a flexible construction system that enables fast delivery of creative, flexible buildings. The system uses cast in-situ concrete between two layers of insulation. This presentation provides a brief overview of the ICF system.
ICF is a simple, composite application of straight forward, but effective, construction technologies. Specially developed insulating formwork is erected on site, and then remains in place after the concrete has been placed in it. From this point on, the formwork provides secondary function to its primary role of shaping the newly placed concrete, as it provides a robust thermal insulation layer that performs for the lifetime of the building.
ICF systems use either lightweight twin walled expanded polystyrene (EPS), or extruded polystyrene panels (XPS), or blocks. These are built on site to create formwork walls. Once in place, the formwork is filled with the ready mixed concrete. Walls one storey high can be completed in one day, and will be ready to take the roof or floor construction the following day.
Once the concrete has cured, there's no need to remove the formwork. It stays in place where it is, providing complete thermal insulation for the finished building. The interlocking polystyrene blocks can give a uniform, smooth surface ready to take most forms of direct internal finish or external cladding or render finishing.
ICF has been used by many architects across North America and Continental Europe for many years. The fast track, low energy benefits of designing buildings using ICF are now more widely understood, and specified, by architects within the UK.