Why you should use OUR SIPS panels for your next building project?

We use a metal c-channel as the bottom plate that is fastened with engineered fasteners to a SIP, concrete or wood floor system. A Bostik adhesive is placed between the two surfaces to adhere the plate to the floor system. When a wall panel is placed in the upright position within the wall bottom plate, adhesive sealant is applied along the bottom and sides of the panel. Then the panels are connected together at the vertical seams with self tapping metal screws through a 27" 18 GA steel strap. The vertical steel studs are then fastened at each intersection with the top and bottom tracks. A metal c-channel is placed over the top plates to provide a continuous connection around the perimeter of the structure. Once the SIPs are installed, construction is of mostly the normal type for the area in which it is being built.

SIP walls are straight, plumb and square. The vertical metal studs give you a sound base for the fastening of all exterior and interior finishes. Drywall is fastened to the interior using commercial drywall screws. The exterior finish can be stucco directly applied to the panels using a bonding agent, or any other kind of finish you choose such as Hardi Board, vinyl siding, T-111 plywood or wood lap siding fastened using self tapping metal screws. No vapor barrier is required on either side of the wall panels.

Your SIP Panel building will be one of the most comfortable, quiet and clean structures you will ever own. Customers have reported that homes that are built next to major highways are as quiet as a home out in the country. The difference in the amount of indoor air pollutants such as dust and pollen are also noticeable due to the air tightness of the panels. We add fresh air intakes to all of our structures to allow for the proper amount of filtered air exchange within the structure.

Unlike most types of construction, performance is an afterthought, insulation is an integral part of a SIP Panel building. Our panel system using Structural Polyurethane Foam that has an R value of R-23 for a 3.5" wall and R-36 for a 5.5" wall and this is not counting whatever finishes you use on the wall. Structural Polyurethane Foam (closed cell) is one of the best insulators available. This foam will not burn without a direct source of flame and meets all the regulations for flame spread and smoke. If a flame is applied directly to the foam it will burn, but once the flame is removed, it will immediately cease to burn.

Air and moisture penetrations are greatly reduced because there are so few thermal breaks. This is achieved by precise manufacturing and installation tolerances of 1/4" around doors and windows and between panels. The gap that is leftover is filled with a polyurethane adhesive foam product to assure an airtight seal.

The SIPs panels are injected at the factory with a Structural Polyurethane Foam into the ends of the panel cavities between the metal studs, while in a heavy metal mold that is restricting the expansion of the foam. This causes the foam to be very dense and it adheres to the metal studs, top and bottom plates. It also forces the foam to impregnate into the fiberglass cloth that is placed on each side of the panel during the manufacturing process.

This process of construction creates a composite-like structural insulated panel that will withstand hurricane force winds of 200 MPH +/-. When a wood 2" x 4" stud is shot from an air cannon at the unprotected panels at a speed of 80 MPH,  it bounces off just leaving a dent within the foam, and causes no damage when it hits a stud. The force of the impact is distributed over a wider area because of the integration of the fiberglass cloth with the foam. The panels can also be further strengthened with the application of metal lathe, aluminum or sheet metal skins if desired. 

Our SIPs panels can be used in seismic regions because metal rivets at the intersection/connections allow the metal frame to flex and return, unlike other systems that are rigid connected. Upon laboratory testing of the panels for racking, the specimen panels were subjected to a force exerted from a hydraulic cylinder of over 7,000 pounds on one corner of the panel. This resulted in a "racking" of the panel of 1 1/2" in the direction of the force. Once the pressure was released the panel returned to within 1/2" of being plumb. The steel used in the panels have "memory ridges" formed into the wide surface of the stud that helps it return as close to the original alignment as possible. There is no need to require "shearwalls" within our structures unless they are a high-rise or have unusual circumstantial loadings.

These panels can also be used for roof and floor systems. With a tested loading value of 190+/- pounds per square foot for a 5.5" foam filled panel. This loading exceeds most building code requirements.

Let our team show you how our panel system can be used or adapted to your next building project.

Does green building pay? 

It certainly does, according to two recently released studies documenting the energy effectiveness and impact on rental rates and property values of green-certified buildings.

One study, commissioned by the U.S. Green Building Council and conducted by the New Buildings Institute, gathered whole-building energy data from 121 occupied LEED NC buildings. The median energy-use intensity for these structures was 24 percent better than the national average for conventional buildings. LEED-certified office buildings performed 33 percent better than average. However, the energy performance for LEED-certified high-energy-use buildings, such as laboratories and data centers, was nearly two and a half times higher than predicted, indicating a need for improvement in performance modeling.

The second study, conducted by the CoStar Group, analyzed occupancy rates and property values of 1300 buildings. It showed that EnergyStar buldings were selling for $61 per square foot more than noncertified structures and commanded $2.40-per-square-foot-higher rental rates. Occupancy rates were 3.6 percent higher. The study also found that LEED-certified buildings were selling for $171 per square foot higher than noncertified buildings, commanded $11.33 per square foot more in rent, and had 4.1 percent higher occupancy.

For more on these two studies, visit www.newbuildings.org and www.costar.com.

For more information, contact us at info@sipsworldwide.com.