Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.
Thelen Sand & Gravel & Ready Mix of Antioch, Ill., delivered slab and wall mixes for an insulating concrete form home that delegates to the 2010 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo will visit as part of scheduled tours. Located two blocks from Thelen’s Waukegan, Ill., satellite plant, the 1,100-sq.-ft. ICF home–topped with a structural insulated panel roof–stands alongside one of identical floor plan, combining an ICF foundation with above-grade, wood frame construction. Project sponsors plan to monitor each construction mode for cost-savings and performance comparison.
Funded by a $125,000 Bank of America Charitable Foundation donation, the two homes are targeting LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] Platinum certification. To that end, ICFs used for both units’ foundations and the exterior walls of the first home will minimize thermal bridging for better R values. Stained concrete floors in each home will replace wood-floor framing and contribute to improved indoor air quality.
Bank of America teamed with U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Habitat for Humanity Lake County (Ill.) behind the homes and other Legacy projects to be spotlighted during USGBC’s Greenbuild, November 16–18 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Over a two-day placing schedule, PCA staffers joined other volunteers to complete the first home’s ICF walls.