of the school. This means they can consider not only the short term building costs of materials but also the life time savings of energy effi- ciency. This approach is better for the life of the school and much more cost-effective for the taxpayer.” “These schools are performing on average 75% better in energy and heat efficiency versus other conven- tional constructed schools and most of the schools today are being built net-zero.” School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The school paired ICF technology with a solar array to create theUS’s first Net-Zero school. Administrators also cite ICF’s durability and fire safety as attractive features. (link https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=jZBTpfnr-Tg). Net-Zero means the school produces as much clean energy as it consumes. Energy efficiency is a key aspect of this equation. The NUDURA wall efficiently has enabled designers to reduce the heating and cooling loads so dramatically that they can now design solar panels into their projects while staying on budget. The growing mid-rise market is essential to NUDURA’s success. This encompasses buildings such as hotels, apartment buildings, dormi- tories and seniors’ residences. With income properties such as these, energy efficiency over the life of the building is an absolutely essen- tial factor in planning, meaning that ICF’s tendency to retain heat in cold weather and remain cool in warm weather makes it very attractive. “For commercial mid-rise construc- tion, the capital outlay is the same or less in many cases, but when incor- porating the true costs of financing and operating ICF construction is by far the best option,” says Murray. “Wood frame construction is usually estimated for a 30 year lifespan, while ICF is much longer – more than 100 years. Over the lifespan of the building, ICF retains its value.” NUDURA has posted a video on YouTube profiling Richardsville
The construction time is another important business consideration. Murray says, “If a builder is investing in, say, a high-rise construction, there has to be significant attention paid to financing. Our product can cut 2 to 3 months from the construction schedule. With the financing and carrying costs cut by that time, the builder will see a faster ROI.” He notes insurance carrying costs for wood frame construction versus ICF can be up to 11 ½ times as much. He cites an insurance study conducted by Global Advisors for the Concrete Council of Canada, the same study indicates that operational insurance costs are also higher for wood-frame buildings. MARKETS In addition to mid- and high-rise construction and schools, NUDURA serves the custom-built residential market. Their products are often chosen by small, high-end builders for their energy and environment conscious customers. EDUCATING CONTRACTORS “One of our industry downfalls in the past has been not putting enough focus on training contractors and tradespeople to use the product,” admits Murray. In 2014, NUDURA was one of the companies to help found the CICFI, a new industry association for ICF that is concentrating a lot of effort on training. “One of our industry downfalls in the past has been not putting enough focus on training contractors and tradespeople to use the product,” While the LEGO™ like design and flexibility of the product make NUDURA’s forms fairly easy to use, Murray notes, “You’re still working with concrete and you need to understand that material. Using the forms is fairly simple, but it is a professional construction product and you need proper training.” The NUDURA site features ample resources for designers, architects and con- tractors to learn more about the products and how to incorporate them into any building design for maximum efficiency. NUDURA’s products are distributed in 30 countries. The success of NUDURA and its distribution partners has been driven by training and education and supported by three Polyform state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Granby, Quebec; Columbus, Georgia; and Coldale, Alberta.
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AUGUST 2016 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS
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