Build Magazine July 2015

Build Magazine 4 Construction Beyond Concrete Mordor Intelligence releases their report on the Global Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Market with the report elucidates the situation of insulated concrete forms around the world and studies the markets of the insulated concrete forms type which include Polystyrene foam, Polyurethane foam, Cement-bonded wood fiber, Cement-bonded poly- styrene beads and Cellular concrete. The study is also divided by geography - North Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific (APAC), South America and Middle-East & Africa (MEA); where-in the market share of each region is analyzed and estimates are provided for the next 6 years. The var- ious applications of insulated concrete forms have been discussed in detail in addition to a compre- hensive overview of the market. Global insulated concrete forms (ICF) market is expected to show an exceptional compound annual growth rate of 27.5%. North America currently dominates the market for insulated concrete forms followed by Europe and APAC. The developing regions of South America and Asia Pacific are expected to increase its market share in the future owing to the growing construction activity in the developing countries. Insulated concrete form or insulating concrete form (ICF) is a system of formwork for reinforced concrete which is made with a rigid thermal insu- lation that stays in place as a permanent interior and exterior substrate for walls, floors, and roofs. The forms can be characterized into three main categories: Block, Panel and Plank, each having their own advantages. ICF construction is less work demanding due to its modularity. Less-skilled labor can be employed to lay the ICF forms. Unlike traditional wood beam construction, no additional structural support other than temporary scaffolding is required for openings, doors, windows, or utilities, though modifying the structure after the concrete cures require special concrete cutting tools. ICFs are revolutionizing the global residential, commercial, institutional and industrial building industries. ICF construction has been growing at 25-30% per year for quite some time. Building with ICFs is gaining momentum over other building methods because with comparable costs, ICFs offer unparalleled comfort, energy efficiency, and safety ratings.The emerging regions such as Asia, South America and Middle-East have been witnessing sizeable growth in construction activities have excel- lent prospects for insulated concrete forms. Companies profiled in the Insulated concrete form market report include the manufacturers, raw material suppliers and the end users - IntegraSpec, Airlite (Fox Blocks), Quad-Lock Building Systems Ltd., Reward Wall Systems Inc., Durisol Build, Bayer MS, The Dow Chemical Co. Future Foam Inc. among others. The operating costs of a typical building over its life- time easily exceed its construction cost - sometimes by a multiple. Thus building owners & operators need to minimize the total cost of the building instead of only the cost of construction. Insulated Concrete Forms are revolutionizing the construc- tion industry because of the exceptional energy efficiency, comfort, safety ratings, and speed of construction at lower total cost. Insulated Concrete Form building envelopes can reduce the heating and cooling component by up to 70% compared to other materials used, making it the single biggest and most cost-effective cut in a building’s total cost. News