Press Releases
Reward takes the lead in removing ICBO wall height and multi-story limitations
Released: October 01, 1999
Reward takes the lead in removing ICBO wall height and multi-story limitations
Omaha, Nebraska October, 1999—The Reward insulating concrete form (ICF) wall system is the ony ICF waffle grid system to be accepted by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) Evaluation Service for walls more than 10' high and for structures consisting of more than two stories.
ICBO is a service organization owned and controlled by its member cities, counties and states and which establishes uniform building standards that all communities can accept and enforce. ICBO currently limits ICF waffle grid and screen grid walls to two stories and a maximum 10' unsupported wall height as opposed to other types of concrete walls which have no such limitations.
Reward insulating concrete forms are individual lightweight expanded polystyrene blocks that are hollow in the center. The foam blocks are stacked like building blocks, aligned, and braced. Steel reinforcement bar is placed vertically and horizontally in the center cavity of the forms, and the cavity is filled with concrete. The forms stay in place after the concrete cures to provide insulation inside and outside of the building. If the forms were removed, the resulting concrete wall would resemble a waffle. Therefore this type of ICF wall is referred to as "waffle grid."
Reward submitted evidence showing that the Reward waffle grid wall falls within the guidelines of the American Concrete Institute's ACI 318 code, the recognized standard of design for concrete structures in America, and requested that the limits be removed.
In response, ICBO agreed, stating that "The submitted calculations demonstrate compliance with Section 1914.4 of the [1997 Uniform Building Code™] code, since they are based on the exact geometry of the Reward Wall." The ICBO 1997 Uniform Building Code accepts the ACI 318 code with some minor changes.
"This is a significant change for our company and our industry," said Kelvin Doerr, Director of Engineering and Technical Services at Reward. "It means that Reward walls are not burdened with requirements that aren't placed on other types of concrete walls. This allows us to branch out into other areas of the construction market. "
Reward is also working with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and others in the industry to revise the ICBO acceptance criteria for all ICF waffle grid walls. An ICBO evaluation committee hearing is scheduled for October 15, 1999, in Whittier, California. All companies that are affected by the ICBO limitations on wall height and number of stories are invited to attend and present their comments. If and when the criteria are changed, however, each company still must submit the proper analytical justification to ICBO in order to have their own evaluation reports changed.