Insulating concrete forms rise to U.S.-record height at New York site

Sources: ICF Panels, Scotia, N.Y.; CP staff

ICF Panels will supply panelized insulating concrete forms in up to 50-ft. lengths for 42 Broad, a 249-unit, Westchester County, N.Y., development. The 16-story luxury apartment project will set a new height record for ICF-built structures in the U.S., taking a page from Ontario practitioners’ recent experience with mid-rise structures of comparable design near Toronto.

Structural walls at the metro New York development will be formed with rigid polystyrene foam insulation panels sandwiching reinforced concrete cores. ICF Panels will deliver panelized forms ready to be braced and poured, some mixes bearing Helix Steel, a twisted micro rebar that can be used for temperature and shrinkage control in lieu of conventional steel reinforcement.

On projects such as 42 Broad, ICF Panels notes, all wall forms can be panelized for applicable floors, potentially shaving months off the construction schedule. “Owners and developers will see that building with [our method] is literally ‘money in the bank’,” contends President Michael Cleary. “Opening early at this project allows them to gain access to millions of dollars in extra rent.”

Located near the Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line into New York City’s Grand Central Station, 42 Broad is a joint venture of The Bluestone Organization, Alexander Development Group and JP Morgan Chase.