Last week, representatives from EYC Companies, Amvic Building System and Build With Strength, an NRMCA-led coalition of engineers, architects, fire service professionals, and industry experts, gathered for a multi-family executive roundtable and site tour event of 17 South, a 220-unit apartment complex under construction in Charleston, SC, that utilizes the latest innovations in concrete construction.

Built with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) and concrete, 17 South makes use of cutting-edge technology, demonstrating the value in utilizing what is quickly becoming the building material of choice for multi-family residential, academic and commercial buildings due to its strength, energy-efficiency, lower lifecycle costs and ease of use. ICF "is a type of permanent concrete formwork that creates the external wall envelope of a building." Typically, it is standard reinforced concrete sandwiched between two faces of high performance, foam plastic insulating material.  Its unique, lightweight structure allows crews to construct buildings more quickly and easily than conventional methods, without compromising the integrity of the structure.

"ICF is faster than building with wood, [and] concrete doesn’t combust as wood does, that’s the truth," said Eric Coleman, a developer with EYC Companies in a video released in August 2016. "When you stack foam against concrete, it’s the most insulated envelope... it’s a far better product for an exterior envelope of a building than any wood wall."

Wednesday’s roundtable and tour was organized in part to serve as an information opportunity for developers interested in learning about the benefits of building multi-family residential buildings with ICFs. In addition to being easy to work with due to its simple design, ICF can be constructed in the winter without the need for insulating blankets or a heating source. It is also highly energy-efficient thanks to insulating properties within the wall structure, and it is inherently resistant to tornadoes, hurricanes, fire, rot and rusting. It also has noise-cancelling properties, costs the same as other materials and has a proven history around the world.