Eco-Block Gains Attention With Green Construction

A new building material, insulated concrete forms, is starting to appear on Arkansas construction sites. ICFs represent a green alternative to conventional exterior wall framing for both commercial and residential projects.
Eco-Block, a leading format among ICFs, is touted as providing energy savings of up to 50 percent. The trade-off in long-term heating and cooling savings is an added 3 percent to 5 percent in upfront construction costs.
“We’re trying to educate and increase the market here,” said Patrick Howell, president of Little Rock’s Smart Structures Distributing LLC.
The product is a hollow panel composed of expanded polystyrene made for stacking to build a wall. Reinforcing steel is placed in the panels for additional strength, and concrete is poured inside the wall of hollow panels.
Besides reducing energy costs, other Eco-Block attributes include an Energy Star Home rating, the use of recycled materials (40 percent by weight), qualification for energy-efficient mortgages, improved indoor air quality and reduction in mold problems. Eco-Block also is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and contributes to its LEED program.
“It’s the fastest-growing building material in construction today, in terms of percentage growth,” said Matt Bell, co-owner of Little Rock’s Bell-Corley Construction. “It’s the most bang for your buck of any construction material I’ve ever seen.”
The Arkansas market, where Smart Structures is the exclusive distributor for Eco-Block, is something of a virgin market. A handful of projects are beginning to crop up around the state.
Bell-Corley is working with Smart Structures on several commercial projects using the Eco-Block system. The biggest is the $1.7 million Pinecrest Private School, a 14,530-SF preschool project in Bentonville.
Howell expects Eco-Block to break the $1 million barrier during the next couple of years as it gains more exposure. He took on the Arkansas franchise in August and hopes to develop a small network of builders to spread the product.
Eco-Block represents the fifth generation in ICFs, a product that first hit the market in the late 1980s, he said.
Exterior walls for an entire floor can be completed in as little as two days, with little consideration to the temperature and weather. The concrete used in the Eco-Block gains 50 percent in strength.
For instance, concrete rated with a load-bearing capacity of 3,000 pounds per square inch becomes capable of 4,500 psi because of the wet curing process afforded by Eco-Blocks’ insulating sandwich.
The ability to withstand unusual stress is borne out by an Eco-Block home in Ocean Springs, Miss. The two-story residence withstood Hurricane Katrina’s 30-foot storm surge, allowing owners to repair rather than rebuild.
This type of durability has caught the eye of the federal government, which is looking at the possibilities for more secure buildings overseas.