Challenge
The Magnolia Speech School is the first school to be constructed from Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) in central Mississippi. As an area prone to extreme weather, the project required superior durability and a saferoom to protect students and faculty. This project carried several window spans with ICF headers up to 38' in length which must be properly reinforced to eliminate structural issues with tension and flexing. In addition, the project fought poor weather conditions during the build and limited time to stack and pour the saferoom due to other material delays. ICFs were able to accommodate these challenges with their structural integrity and ease of installation.
Solution
When it was decided to use Nudura ICFs for the exterior wall construction, the next step was to design beyond the structural documents. Through several meetings, the builder, REC Construction, assisted the reinforcement vendor in providing adequate reinforcement design for all spans with the help of the Nudura® Installation Manual and technical support team The installation of this reinforcement required a high level of quality control prior to each pour as missing reinforcement could cause failure or bulging in the ICF. Several embeds in the ICF located at the top of the wall were required for trusses. With proper layout prior to pouring, these embeds were installed with ease. Some embeds were located in the face of the ICF material which required extra careful layout, cutting of ICF, strong blocking and sealing at each one. Each embed was secured and installed correctly and zero corrective work was required.
The resiliency of the Nudura ICF blocks meant the product was undisturbed despite the weather conditions that were battled on site. However, when the first concrete slab was poured, there were less than 6 days to stack and pour the saferoom due to a steel delivery date that was required for the wall erection. Stacking this room was not a difficult task in itself, but one corner of the room featured a long window span to the next wall which did not allow a proper cold joint at the 45-degree angle. The ease of use with Nudura and the support they provided allowed us to get this project done in a tight timeline and without any hiccups.
The high R-value of Nudura ICF will have unprecedented economic advantages for this school. Since the added insulation will save money on utilities, the extra funds will allow additional resources to be allocated to benefit the students directly. Nudura ICFs also create a sound barrier from outside noise, allowing students with various attention disorders to better focus on their work. Builder, Jay Files, said he believes that Nudura, “surpasses other products in terms of utility savings but if used in conjunction with other products could achieve so many of our universal goals of conserving energy. Also, and perhaps most important, it is clearly a barrier from high winds able to withstand tornadoes and hurricanes keeping our family and friends safe.”