
ICF construction leverages thermal mass
In creating a LEED Platinum home in Fennville, Michigan, builder Jake Vierzen knew keeping the ICF home’s window-rich walls facing south delivered passive solar warming and cooling in the design of Prickly Pear Sanctuary. The south side is completely open, “and that allows that solar heat to be in all

Collaborative robots lift construction efficiency, safety
Vendor Triple E Equipment says that demand for construction robots will more than double in the next five years. “The hard truth is, there’s so much room for machinery because the construction industry is facing a serious worker shortage. The silver lining is that machines working in unison with humans

Green Building improves LEED resilient pilot credits
LEED pilot credits for Resilient Design are available for projects once again—and they are more effective at enhancing project resilience than ever before. As profiled in USGBC’s new policy brief LEED Resilient Design Pilot Credits: How LEED Empowers Projects to Achieve a Higher Level of Resilience, the credits were first
Zero net energy: the new normal?
By Dave Gowers With energy efficiency increasingly becoming the focus of both commercial and residential construction, we must seriously consider ICF construction as being a realistic solution to this energy efficiency demand. But what does Zero Net Energy mean? Simply put, any structure designed for zero net energy must generate

ICF strengths include climate change protection
By Dave Gowers As natural disasters sweep our nation, awareness is rapidly growing that building with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) has the ability to prevent significant tragic damage to home and personal safety. Building with disaster-resistant methods such as ICF pose a solution to three very topical and urgent requirements:

Concrete Microhomes of the Future
Every American wants to own their own home. Financially it isn’t always possible, particularly if you’re a first time buyer. According to the New York Times from 2017, the nationwide average home price is $182,500. Even with a deposit as low as 6 percent, this amount can be a struggle.

FLASH Introduces New Resilient Design Guide to Improve Home and Community Resilience
By Donn Thompson and Jamie Farny An increasing number of U.S. households are located in areas that are affected by flooding and high winds. Based on the findings of the 2010 U.S. census, more than half of our population now resides in coastal counties. There is a tangible benefit