Building Systems
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Building Systems Whether they think of it as “building
green” or “sustainability,” today’s consumers
expect homes and other low-rise structures to have minimal environmental
impact, yet meet or exceed their lifestyle needs. They want properties
offering comfort and security with low energy bills and low maintenance.
They also demand healthy interiors that promote well being. And
they want all of this in an attractive package.
Contemporary concrete building systems offer features that purchasers
and builders value; strong and solid construction that provides
comfortable shelter from typical weather, and minimizes property
damage while protecting occupants from extreme weather, like natural
disasters. Yet strength and durability alone are not enough: the
systems have to be easy to design and build and be versatile to
suit any architectural style. Concrete systems are that and more.
They form tight building envelopes that minimize air infiltration,
simplify the addition of insulation, and provide thermal mass for
more consistent temperatures and decreased energy usage. This is
beneficial from an environmental standpoint, and can contribute
toward a building’s greenness in many rating systems and some
codes.
Even though many concrete building systems have been around for
a long time, consumers (and some builders) may not be aware of them.
Or they may have only a limited understanding of them. PCA began
a targeted promotion of concrete systems for residential applications
in the mid-1990s, intended to introduce a new audience of buyers
and builders to the wide variety of structural concrete products
suitable for building homes. Systems included concrete masonry (“block”)
and poured in place concrete (removable forms), precast and tilt-up,
shotcrete, insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and autoclaved aerated
concrete (AAC) which is a lightweight concrete formed as blocks
or panels. Construction of above grade walls for concrete homes
increased from about 3% at that time to nearly 11.1% in 2008, or
about one out of every 9 homes built.
Residential Market Share of Above Grade
Concrete Walls
Sources: NAHB Research Center, ICFA, and PCA Market Research Surveys

PCA now promotes concrete systems for residential and other low-rise
structures. Most if not all of the benefits of concrete construction
are suitable to both classes of buildings. The links below provide
detailed descriptions of each wall system and important characteristics
of them.
| There's more than one way to build your home with concrete: |
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Concrete Masonry Units
Traditional concrete masonry units, referred to as “CMU”
and sometimes “block,” have a long history of use
for basements and above grade walls of homes. Whether the choice
is plain units finished with other materials or architectural
units that remain exposed to view, concrete masonry walls are
installed by skilled masons, and can be insulated, reinforced,
and grouted to form energy efficient, strong building envelopes. |
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Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF)
As lightweight modular panels or blocks, ICFs combine easy form
placement with a finished concrete wall encased between two
layers of insulation. These systems have established themselves
as environmentally friendly solutions to comfortable, durable
buildings for housing and many other applications for low-rise
construction. |
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Removable Forms (Cast-in-Place)
Casting concrete in place involves the use of removable, or
temporary, forms, typically made of aluminum. Some forming systems
are adapted from other categories of construction, like tunnel
building, to speed the process. Rigid foam insulation is often
placed between forms and fastened with a system of non-conductive
ties before concreting begins. The result is a solid wall with
thermal mass and good insulating abilities. |
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Panel Systems: Precast and
Tilt-Up
There are two main types of panel systems used for concrete
walls: precast concrete and tilt-up concrete. Both types of
panels are typically erected with a crane, but differ in where
they are cast. Precast concrete panels are built in a controlled
manufacturing facility and shipped to the site on trucks. Tilt-up
panels are site cast from ready mix concrete, usually formed
on top of the floor slab, for minimal site disruption. Flat
casting simplifies the concreting process and panelization offers
an opportunity for repetition and walls that go up fast. |
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Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC)
Autoclaved aerated concrete, or AAC, is made with fine aggregates,
cement, and an expansion agent that causes the fresh mixture
to rise like bread dough. In fact, this type of concrete contains
80% air. In the factory where it is made, the material is molded
and cut into precisely dimensioned units. |
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Shotcrete
Shotcrete is a process where concrete is projected or "shot" under pressure
using a feeder or "gun" onto a surface to form structural shapes including
walls, floors, and roofs.
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