Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/281113
In 1989, hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, SC with full force and caused over one billion dollars of damage to buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. The Mayor's Council on the Homeless project for low-income residents had recently finished three cottages built with SIP systems. These cottages withstood the hurricane with no harm, while adjacent homes suffered serious structural damage, including loss of roofs and walls. The council was quick to order 7 more cottages after this performance. SIPs homes have stood the test of time and Mother Nature – a SIPs wall is easily capable of withstanding 200 mph winds that are delivered by extreme tornadoes and SIPs are more resistant to earthquakes than any other type of construction. The SIP building system has received the highest designation possible for a building material: a Class 6 Seismic Designation from the State of California. While the concrete in an ICF system provides enormous strength to withstand earthquake forces, SIPs light weight prevents them from gaining momentum when the earth is shaking. This means that walls don't accelerate quickly so the shaking and damage internally will be reduced. Fire investigators and numerous tests have found that the buildings constructed of SIPs resist fire exceptionally well. SIP wall, roof, and ceiling assemblies have been tested and found to resist fire for a minimum of one hour. Concrete Structural Insulated Panels (CSIPs) A newer EPS building system combines the best of both ICFs and SIPs. Concrete structural insulated panels (CSIPs) combine the best of both ICFs—strong and tight and go up in a fraction of the time of the traditional building materials. CSIPs are a highly innovative system which deliver all the benefits of a concrete home at an affordable price point. CSIPs are used for above grade foundation, floors, walls and roofs and have a lateral force resistant interior system that distributes the load path to the walls and the foundation for added structural integrity. They are usually constructed of two 3-inch interior and exterior concrete skins that cover a continuous layer of 2-inch EPS foam insulation. Especially popular in hurricane prone regions, a CSIPs home can be built on concrete risers to avoid coastal flooding. A wide range of exterior design options, such as brick and lap siding, are available. Like ICFs and SIPs, electrical conduits and plumbing pipes are integrated into the panels to speed up the on-site construction process. The precast concrete panels have considerable flexibility to accommodate window and door openings. In some cases even the windows and exterior doors are cast into the walls during production and can be designed to exceed the code-required wind pressures. In addition to supporting the exterior walls, CSIPs provide bearing for concrete floor systems, which can be used to tie the entire building together to perform as one reinforced unit. One of the biggest benefits of these homes—after the hurricane resistance, of course—is their affordability. A 'prefab' CSIPs home takes about 30 days to cast and deliver, and it can be erected and weather-tight in about 40 hours. Using simple tools, a small crew can typically erect the walls in significantly less time than it takes for conventional framing. No matter what the building system, EPS insulation is the most cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing way to protect occupants and their belongings from a myriad of natural disasters such as EF4 and EF5 level tornados. EPS is serving as the building block for a new generation of extremely robust disaster resistant houses that are durable, affordable, energy efficient and sustainable. 7 Steel reinforced concrete house in Pass Christian Mississippi following hurricane Katrina. The storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico reached 28 ft and hit the house. continued from pg 6