Strata International
I’ve come across a new to me building technology which is being utilized in the Phoenix area. It is essentially the inverse of ICF. 8 inch EPS core for the walls and 12 inch for the ceiling with both sides finished in a shotcrete like concrete product. The system comes from Strata International (strataus.com).
I’ve talked to a GC who has done three of these homes and his pricing for the the structure is actually slightly less than what I have been bid for 2×6 and trusses. Structural claims far exceed stick built. Energy efficiency savings shown to be around 50% based on one neighbor comparing his bill to another). Anyone have any experience or thoughts on the system? Seems like quite the product.
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In addition, no wood is used anywhere. Even interior walls and ceilings are foam with a concrete coating.
At a quick glance, it looks like it has more in common with SIPS than it does with ICF. The concrete coating on each side of the foam is a thin membrane, like the OSB in SIPS (but of course concrete instead of wood).
If we're really getting abstract, you might even say that it's kind of like straw bale, but with foam instead of straw.
It seems like a big challenge with any novel or proprietary system is that you do not have a long history of time-tested details to draw on.
I think wood structures and cellulose insulation make the environmentalist in me happier than a foam house, but that's always a complicated set of tradeoffs!
Jeffrey,
In one of my first new articles written for GBA (back in Jan. 2009), I made a brief mention of the Strata International system. See Green Paint Sets the Scene.
In April 2004, I wrote an article for Energy Design Update in which I identified several manufacturers of similar systems:
1. 3D Panel Systems
2. Hadrian TriDi Systems
3. All Wall
4. Monotech
5. Solarcrete
6. T-Mass.
A later article added a seventh manufacturer:
7. Dukane Double Wall
I'm not sure how many of these manufacturers are still in business.
We have several manufacturers in Canada, the US has suffered progress in this fantastic building system because of... well let's just say you all know why
Here is Strata new website, https://www.strataus.com/