V I T R U V I A N

Oberlin Residence LA CA

2010-07-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here's another energy efficient house we're building for a nice family down in Los Angeles, California with some help from our friends at ACM.

Our surprisingly lightweight, incredibly strong, hyper-insulated panels are cut directly from a 3D Model so your house pretty much materializes on the job site.

Check out VitruvianBuilt.com for more.

New Pictures of the Huasna Barn!

2010-07-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Putting Up the Huasna Barn

2010-03-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a project currently under construction not too far from the Vitruvian Headquarters in Huasna, California.

Vitruvian featured in My SLO Home

2010-02-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

"...Their methods of taking a design from the computer straight to manufacturing eliminate the problems of human error on the jobsite and in communication between members of the building team..."

My SLO Home

Watch Us On The News Tonight!

2010-02-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

KSBY San Luis Obispo came out Friday and interviewed use about our unique, local building system. Check it tonight on channel 6 or we'll post a video when we get a copy.

KSBY.COM

Couple Lost Gems

2010-01-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

Found some photos of the Tiffany House. Please Enjoy!

So What Does A Finished HIP SHED Look Like?

2009-12-24T08:59:00.001-08:00

These pictures were taken by a client here in San Luis Obispo, CA who wanted to rent out an extra room on their property. We used colors and finishes to match the existing home. This one also has an awning which makes it even that much more special. Ready to order one? Email us! :) HipShed@VitruvianBuilt.com

What does a Vitruvian Curved Roof Or Wall Look Like?

2009-12-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

This!

Some Great EPS Facts From Quad-Lock!

2009-12-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

QuadLock.com

The Greenest Homes In San Luis Obispo Are For Rent But Going Fast!

2009-12-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

Custom-built Green cottages; detached homes with single car attached garages provide privacy and character; high quality finishes throughout including wood floors and custom cabinetry; beautiful views, two short blocks from Scolari's shopping center and within walking distance of downtown; super-insulated walls and roof provide a comfortable, quiet environment; water, trash, gas, electricity and landscaping paid.

Two-story cottages available starting at $1,295/month, this link will take you to a floor plan and elevation of these units: http://www.houseplans.com/plan_details.asp?id=33820

Three-story cottages with 1 bedroom and bonus area; available starting at $1,695/month, this link will take you to a floor plan and elevation of these units: http://www.houseplans.com/plan_details.asp?id=33824

All cottages require minimum 12 month lease; 1 month security deposit. Pets accepted on case-by-case basis.

IF YOU ARE COMMITTED TO REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND MINIMIZING THE TOXINS ENTERING YOUR BODY THAN OUR HOMES ARE FOR YOU...

Climate Change: Did you know that buildings account for 49% of greenhouse gas emissions in our country? The average US home releases nearly twice as much CO2 as the average car. With this in mind, our homes were built utilizing a technologically advanced building technique that dramatically reduced the amount of energy and materials that were consumed and wasted in the construction process. Our homes were also framed with 100% recyclable steel and expanded polystyrene foam insulation ("EPS"), two materials that are unmatched in terms of performance and durability. Finally, we anticipate that our homes will consume 75% less energy than if they had been built conventionally.

Air Quality: Did you know that the EPA has declared that indoor air pollution levels can be 96 times greater than outdoor pollution levels? They consider indoor air quality to be one of the "greatest health concerns in this country." With this in mind, we built our homes out of steel and EPS, which do not release harmful toxins into the air the way that wood and fiberglass do. We also used advanced technology to construct air tight building envelopes that greatly reduce air infiltration and the unintended movement of allergens and toxins from the outside into your home. Finally, the EPS insulating system virtually eliminates the conditions that allow mold and mildew growth.

Energy Efficiency: Did you know that buildings are responsible for 50% of all of the energy consumed in our country? Buildings also use 75% of the electricity consumed in our country. With this in mind, we designed our homes to be as energy efficient as possible. In addition to utilizing solar power to heat water, we used high performance EPS insulated walls and roofs to create a home that is so energy efficient that heating and cooling bills will become a negligible expense. In fact, we are so confident of your home's energy efficiency that WE WILL PAY YOUR HEATING AND COOLING BILLS FOR YOU!

The August Company

805-594-1785

How Strong Is A 12" Vitruvian Hyper-Insulated Panel?

2009-12-15T13:17:00.001-08:00

Try 138 pounds per square foot without breaking!

Super Hot HIP SHEDs For Sale!

2009-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

We're selling these Vitruvian Hyper-Insulated Panel H.I.P. Sheds right now. This one's sitting on Broad & Orcutt in SLO if you wanna go take a gander. Need some extra hyper space for your home or business? No permits required. We will design a super duper custom one just for you. Check out hipshed.com right now and holler @ us! :)

Another Sugar Bowl Ski House

2009-11-16T09:25:00.001-08:00

You all can see our progress on our latest creation in Sugar Bowl. We will most likely stop job-site work for the winter, but will keep ordering items from the 'model' during the winter. Enjoy.

Click here to view gallery

The Swimming Pool That Earns It's Keep

2009-11-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

THE REAL GREEN

In the slab that surrounds this pool are embedded 3200 lineal feet of flexible plastic tubing (PEX). The sun heats the concrete, which is stained black, and the heat is transferred to the water in the tubing.

This morning we turned on our IN-SLAB totally passive solar pool water heater for the first time. Within minutes the water returning to the pool was 5 degrees higher than the pool itself. This is the same output of a water heater sized for this pool: or 110,000 btu unit.

The pool started out at 62 degrees and by the end of the day it was 68. If we were burning propane for the same 6 hours it would have taken 110,000X6/91330= or about 7.2 gallons of propane.

By the time we install our $140 solar blanket and keep the 'heater' going for a few days, and since the pool is totally insulated (thanks Vitruvian) we'll be cruising at 80 degrees in no time.

The carbon savings on this installation is wonderful.

The cost of this clever little apparatus was about $1500, material and labor. A water heater bought for this type of pool is minimum $2000 material & labor installed...and then you get to buy gas....forever...plus it really doesn't last forever. The tubes encased in concrete will easily last generations.

Imagine ordering your house like a pizza

2009-10-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

This house was loaded on the trailer today at about 11:20. We drove about 25 minutes to the site and by 1:30 we had all but one wall up.

If the builder can frame his interior walls and get the beams up, the roofs would go on just as fast...

Modern Luxury Suite

2009-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Vitruvian is excited to announce our latest project to be located high atop Cuesta Grade here in San Luis Obispo, California:

THE MODERN LUXURY SUITE

Designer : Peter Sterios

Modeler : Nick Huston

Builder : Duane Heil

Animation by Nick Huston. (No Sound.)

Storm Talifero features Vitruvian Founder in new video

2009-10-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

CUSTOM GREEN LIVING's Storm Talifero and VITRUVIAN founder Duane Heil talk about modern building techniques.

Vitruvian featured in NKBA Profiles Magazine

2009-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

The NKBA is dedicated to promoting sustainability in kitchen and bath design and business practices. To demonstrate the association's commitment toward environmental responsibility, this issue of Profiles will be distributed exclusively in an online format.

Profiles Magazine
Fall 2009: The Green Issue

Feature Articles:

Architectural & Environmental Design
Sustainable Living, Tuscan Style
Eco-Friendly Cabinetry
Bathroom Profile: Sustaining Great Design

By making the Fall issue completely paperless, the NKBA will save the equivalent of more than a half-million sheets of paper.

Click here to view the digital edition

A Vitruvian Documentary In The Works?

2009-09-11T16:01:00.001-07:00

New Times Tell me about Flicker Films.

Olesh Right now we are putting together a couple of proposals. One is a big proposal for a feature-length documentary that will be the expansion of a short film for another local company called Vitruvian, about their sustainable building [Vitruvian is a full service green building system: “Custom wall and roof panels, made with EPS (Expanded PolyStyrene) and light gauge steel, combined with proprietary software, will cut-list and provide shop drawing accuracy to all elements of the structure and finishes.”]

New Times Why make this film?

Stanier We both strongly feel the world should know about this building company. The reason it doesn’t get great coverage is because it directly impacts the wood industry.

Olesh And we hope it’s just the beginning. A feature-length documentary would be groundbreaking [about Vitruvian]. It would be about Vitruvian, but also a snapshot of what is happening right now, sociologically, how it fits in.

Read the full article here!

World's Largest Styrofoam Cup!

2009-09-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ok well maybe not the largest in the world but at least here in Arroyo Grande, California.

Vitruvian's first green, Hyper-Insulated Swimming Pool is almost finished and as it turns out, our Free Heat Technology is very

low tech and very simple in this case. Much like our buildings:

Just Insulate It.

So how do you guys wire these things?

2009-08-27T16:49:00.001-07:00

Typical VITRUVIAN Hyper-Insulated Wall Panel:

Provided Wire Chase Does Not Constitute As A Breach In Insulation. Nor Does It Compromise Structural Integrity Of Panel.

Vitruvian echoes Neutra's methodology

2009-08-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Richard Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects. Recently, his son Raymond visited our office, shop and job sites. Today he sent us these interesting parallels in prefabricated, light construction:

1925-1950 Diatom Series

After World War I ended, Modernists began imagining a heroic future on paper. The images powerfully rendered the shock of the new. Neutra devised his own proposals for hypothetical projects in the 1920s and 1930s to generate ideas on urban design and building technology. These proposals had a direct impact on his work, from unbuilt worker housing to high-end private homes. Rush City Reformed served as his theoretical metropolis. The Diatom Series served housing, exploring not only materials and building systems, but also the modern tract house and the implications of the car, ("Diatom" refers to crushed algae seashells. Even through the 1950s, Neutra held to his conviction that "diatomaceous earth" was the key to creating "steam-hardened earth" akin to lightweight concrete, which could be made into insulated panels called Diatalum for walls and floors. He even attempted to establish a for-profit corporation. The additive eventually proved to be too soft and crumbly, but has many uses today.)

One Diatom design was inspired by the one building representing the promise of American technology: the circus tent. In his 1930 book Amerika. Die Stilbildung des neuen Baum in den Vereinigten Staaten (America: New Buildings of the World) Neutra wrote that that membrane structure with its central post fulfilled all his requirements for ''lightness in construction": "... in North America, one can view the gigantic tent of the multiple ring circus of Barnum and Ringling Brothers around the middle of the 19th century as the most characteristic architectural production. Developed for erection, dismantling and rail transport almost in the span of hours, in whose framework are arranged stairs, folding seats for many thousand spectators as well as electric and water installations [the way that] the constructive members, such as covers and ropes, function only as mere tensile stresses, and therefore are of minimal dimensions, imparts to the tent also in other ways prototypes for our era which views lightness of construction as an architectural duty and dear to its heart ..."

Whether he was inspired by the mobile tent or by Buckminster Fuller's 1927 Dymaxion House with its central mast, which he also admired, Neutra used this strategy only once. This was Diatom I, "One-Two," a house typically no more than 1,000 sq. ft. One central unit (three ganged bays 17' 8' x 22' deep with 3'6" overhangs) could be flanked first by one and then another unit. (Reminiscent of Le Corbusier, not only does the sublimely rendered design include a roof garden, but in a 1930s cartoon-like manner, Neutra also depicted gently smudged, rounded ends of autos, peeking out from below the pilotis of the house.) The short walls of the central unit are solid while the long walls are primarily glass from end to end, so the spaces feel bright, open and loft-like, enhanced by a 4' overhang on both sides. Floors, roofs and walls all consist of Diatom panels. A prefabricated kitchen and bathroom made up the mechanical core.

The roof is suspended with tension cables from a series of masts whose central steel columns are set in contrived steel footings anchored in the ground, thus eliminating "over-dimensioned" concrete Footings. They were to be adjustable and portable, perfect for instant housing. While these look more like exquisitely fussy watch gears than footings, for Neutra they were quite viable. Though never manufactured, he was granted patents for some of them in the late 1940s. He also designed plans for manufacturing diatomaceous earth panels, which were published in architectural journals. He designated production schedules and conveyors. Neutra even worried about union affiliations. "What would traditional carpenter unions say?" he asked.

Another, larger Diatom house, Diatom IV, posed an opposite hypothesis. It was heavier, built of concrete and wood. At one end, concrete piers acting as spider web, extended from the ends of the main volume to create a heavily articulated terrace. Diatom IV's design echoed the elongated volumes of Frank Lloyd Wright 1910 Robie House in Chicago. With its ventilated openings above lowered beams, it was Neutra's reference point for his Puerto Rico classrooms, which led to his thesis for the Tremaine House.

Neutra never ceased in preaching the gospel of prefabricated houses. He did blame the consumer for their love of "tradition, because we don't have a tradition that is scorned, referring to the changing parade of house styles. What was needed, is first an understanding of the "intimate relationships in modes of living... What if we were to build a car the way we build a house? Chaos! The 'rugged individual' in each prospective home buyer is flattered into 'expressing himself' instead of squarely facing the technical and economic facts of life... In spite of ingrained association of 'my home, my castle,' a minimum dwelling is not and cannot be independent or sufficient. Isolated by itself, it must remain unconvincing as a message for progress when submerged in an amorphous city stretching on endlessly . . ." His Diatom models were included in his architecture proposals on paper for "194X," Architecture Forum's famous postwar housing program in which the "X" represented a future for the taking.'

Local Student Endorses Vitruvian

2009-08-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Duane,

Forgive me for taking so long to write this for you. I was going to wait until after I gave my presentation so I could tell you how it went, but I gave it about two weeks ago and am now finally writing this card.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to tell me about you, your company and your extremely unique and fascinating way of building. It made my class presentation extremely easy, yet exciting to talk about. My teacher and classmates were quite intrigued, as was I.

The thought that Vitruvian could become the new way to build is quite enthralling. It seems so simple, but it works.

Thank you!

Kyle Baker

Hip Shed accepted in Design Contest

2009-07-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Nick Huston's ICE PLANT SHELTER, designed specifically with the VITRUVIAN Green Building System in mind, has been accepted into the DESIGN IT: SHELTER competition.

Learn more about the contest at Guggenheim.org

Foam Swimming Pools?

2009-07-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Why not? Vitruvian is building the first ever (at least to us) Hyper-Insulated Swimming Pool. Think about it... Wouldn't you want to keep your pool warm from the cool earth? Like your house, do you really want to pay to heat the thing if you don't have to? If enough people get interested, we may entertain building more of these so let us know: info@vitruvianbuilt.com

Vitruvian Hip Shed enters design contest!

2009-07-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Google has challenged designers to build a 3d model of... well, one of our Hip Sheds basically. So here's my entry:

Click here to download the 3D Model

Please rate and comment as you see fit.
Thanks and please enjoy,
Nicholas

WineryRowPaso.com

2009-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

"Eco Friendly

Winery Row Paso is environmentally friendly!

Our lead contractor, Turko Semmes, has been working with environmentally responsible products for over 20 years. After making an analysis of the most advanced building sysytems available, Mr. Semmes determined that the Vitruvian (www.vitruvianbuilt.com) building system would provide the best combination of insulation, earthquake resistance and endurance. As a result, the wineries in Winery Row will be both environmentally sensitive and durable."

WineryRowPaso.com/Eco-Friendly-Green

Vitruvian video on VIMEO

2009-06-23T12:57:00.001-07:00

Latin American Version:

http://vimeo.com/5086268

FastCompany.com Article

2009-06-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this blog today about us today:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/vitruvian-building-system-0

Our Promotional Video

2009-06-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

Son of World Famous Architect Visits Vitruvian!

2009-06-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/raymondneutra/Vitruvian#

Designer Hip Shed construction photos

2009-05-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Vitruvian is building 4 Designer Hip Sheds for a private school in Ojai, California to be used as music practice rooms.
Designed by local Architect, Laura Joines: MomeLife.com

Recent Job Site Photos

2009-05-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent photos by local photographer JoJo Shaiken of our Johnson Avenue project here in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California. You'll notice from the architecture that complexity is our friend and we believe in saving trees for decoration.

Blimp Cam

2009-03-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of Tim Oates.

New Job Site Construction Photos!

2009-02-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

1771 Johnson Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93401

Vitruvian featured in Gizmag!

2009-02-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

February 16, 2009 When we think green house emissions, fume spewing factories and highways choked with gas guzzling vehicles are usually the first images that spring to mind, but it may surprise some readers to learn that buildings represent a sizeable chunk of our collective carbon footprint. In America, it's estimated that buildings contribute to 36% of energy consumption and 30% of green house gas emissions and it's an area that's ripe for improvement. Innovative American building company Vitruvian is doing just that by offering a full service green building system that utilizes pre-engineered modular construction consisting of inter lockable panels to form a complete, weather tight building shell. As well as delivering extremely low energy bills, Vitruvian has calculated that if its process was used for all building replacement and construction in America between now and the year 2030, its environmental impact would be the equivalent of removing more than 80 million cars from the road...

...Read entire article and comments

EPS Does Not Warp, Rot, Or Mold

2009-02-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

Please watch this educational video about the extraordinary properties, applications and history of EPS:

http://www.geofoam.com/video/player-windows.asp?filename=../downloads/video/geofoam-solution.wmv

A message from Duane Heil, President of Vitruvian:

"EPS has been saving the world for 50 years. It has been used in walls and roofs for at least 30 years.

We are finding now that most of the stucco applications in Oakland that are built over plywood are failing due to moisture penetration. Plywood is just not made for handling that type of long term exposure since stone/stucco/masonry basically act like a sponge and hold water long term and nothing really breathes. Funny, it was always obvious to me that that application was flawed. I even once contacted a major stucco company to tell them that their standards were not acceptable, but they were staunch in their position. Really, maybe it's not the stucco, but instead it's the plywood. Douglas Fir is just not able to stand the test of moisture...

You know that stale smell in old framed homes? That is damp wood and drywall...you won't have that problem with EPS. It won't suck up the water.

The reality is that wood framed homes are only good if you can rely on keeping the material properties stable. That might be possible in dry climates like the South West or the mountains, but not where it's damp.

In France, buildings made of wood are considered 'temporary' buildings.

EPS is forever."

Styrene is oil. Lets build with it, not burn it.

2009-01-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

A message from Duane Heil, President of Vitruvian:

"Growing up in Southern California during the 60's and 70's was a lesson on how not to run a city on fossil fuels: the pollution was such that I couldn't see the hills behind my house that were less than a mile away...yuck! This was a main motivator to get me to find a solution, at least in my chosen field, to improve efficiencies so that I could see again, and my children could have a better future.

If you consider styrene (oil) as a building product and not as a fuel, then the metrics of its' production and consumption change radically.
This is not to say that perhaps there is a way to transform the properties of renewable resources so that they may have the stability, workability, and availability of oil. I have been actively involved in the building trades for the past 39 years and to date haven't found anything that has the benefits of EPS, but I would welcome the technology that does so.

I would think that there is enough local production of oil in any part of the world to supply oil, (natural gas can be used too) to supply local demand for plastics...NOT FUEL. ie...lets build with it, not burn it.
We have performed calculations on net carbon footprint of our building system for the construction of and the operation of our buildings. We are by far the lowest.
The main reason for our efficiencies is our patented software application that optimizes output for any custom structure to net an overall waste product of less than 1%. We also manufacture close to the building site to minimize the travel impact."

The R-Value Myth

2008-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

(borrowed from sprayfoam.biz)

The Great Myth of Modern Home Construction is the 'R-value' measurement. R-values have been peddled to us for so long that they have taken on a 'Chiseled-In-Stone' status, even with some otherwise knowledgeable contractors and architects.

The saddest part of this is that the R-value by itself is almost a worthless number, as it is impossible to define insulation effectiveness by this number alone.

WHY IS THE MYTH PERPETUATED?

It definitely favors 'traditionally used' fiber insulations made by large International Corporations, who regularly lobby & contribute to keep it in place, despite peer reviewed science that shows its limitations.

What would the R-value of insulation be after it has been submersed in water or had a 20 mile per hour wind blowing through it? Obviously the 'Effective' R-value of fiberglass, cellulose, wool and/or cotton insulation would go to zero, but EPS Insulation would be largely unaffected. Again, R-values are 'funny' numbers; they are meaningless unless we know all the relevant factors.

The use of R-values as the only criteria for insulation is absolutely ridiculous, yet we have Government Agencies mandating R-values of 30 to 50 today, despite any actual science to support these levels. Traditional insulation having an R-25-value installed in a wall/floor/ceiling, but not properly sealed will allow air to travel through it and/or moisture to saturate it - providing no real R-value at all.

R-values are a result standardized testing of heat flow through insulation in a sealed test fixture under controlled laboratory conditions, but these tests are not even remotely associated with the real world environment where insulation is commonly installed.

To calculate the actual installed performance of insulation, we also need to know its resistance to air penetration, to internal air currents, to liquid water, and to water vapor drive. What really matters is the 'effective' R-value when insulation is subjected to these real world conditions.

Fiber insulation is generally assigned an R-value of approximately 3.5 per inch, yet it can only achieve this value when tested in an absolute zero air-movement and zero moisture environment. Zero wind and zero moisture are not real-world conditions, as all homes leak air and water vapor from the outside air, showers, cooking, breathing, etc., constantly moving through our homes.

If the attic is not properly ventilated on a fiber insulated home, the water vapor generated inside a house will very quickly semi-saturate the insulation above the ceiling and in the walls. Even small amounts of moisture will cause a dramatic drop, as much as 50 percent or more, in fiber insulation's performance.

VAPOR BARRIERS

Because such small amounts of moisture have devastating effects on fiber insulations performance, it is recommended that fiber insulation have a vapor barrier installed on the warm side of the insulation. This recommendation poses a completely new problem, which is the warm side of the wall?

Obviously, the warm side changes from summer to winter, even from day to night. If it is 30 degrees outside, the inside of an occupied house is certainly the warm side, conversely, during the summer months, when the sun is shining; the warm side is the outside of the wall.

Occasionally, a novice will put vapor barriers on both sides of the insulation, but this proves to be disastrous because the vapor barriers will stop most of the moisture but not all. Small amounts of moisture will still move into the fiber insulation, between the two vapor barriers and become trapped. Condensation will accumulate as the temperature swings back and forth, altering the direction of vapor drive forces, leading to significant mold growth, health problems, building rot and increased energy costs.

Fiber insulation must be ventilated on one side or you can end up with serious mold growth problems, as illustrated in these images. This required ventilation also allows air movement within the fiber insulation, significantly reducing its effectiveness AND R-Value.

EPS Insulation does not have these limitations. It creates its own air-tight seal, while still allowing water vapor to pass through without accumulating or affecting its performance. This complete insulation, air barrier and moisture management solution is what makes EPS Insulation the intelligent choice for your home.

AIR CURRENTS IN TRADITIONAL FIBER INSULATION PRODUCTS

We all understand air penetration through the walls of our homes; we can even feel it in some homes when the wind blows. But what most people, including many engineers, do not realize is that there are very significant convection currents occurring within the traditional fiberglass, cellulose and cotton insulations. These convective currents move vast amounts of air, leading to significant energy losses.

Convective air currents are not fast enough to feel and are difficult to measure without sensitive instruments, but they are constantly carrying heat from the bottom of the fiber insulation to the top side, allowing it to escape.

If we attempt to seal off this air movement with traditional insulation, it will seal in the water vapor, where it will condense into a liquid, becoming a source of moisture for mold growth and rotting the wood in your home. This water vapor and resulting condensation will also seriously decrease the fiber insulation's R-value and increase your energy costs. The only way to deal with fiber insulation is to ventilate, but to ventilate means allowing air movement, which decreases the R-value and increases your energy costs.

Once again, EPS Insulation does not have these limitations, because it creates its own air-tight seal, while still allowing water vapor to pass through without accumulating or affecting its performance.

AIR PENETRATION

The filter for most furnace filters is made from fiberglass, the same spun fiberglass used as insulation. Fiberglass is used for an air filter because it has low resistance to the air flow, and it is cheap. In other words, the air flows through it very readily.

There are tremendous air currents that move through the walls of a typical home. To verify this, one can hold a lit candle near an electrical outlet on an outside wall when the wind is blowing. The average home, with all its doors and windows closed, has a combination of air leaks equal to the size of an open front door.

Even if we do a perfect job of installing the fiber insulation in a home and bring the air infiltration very close to zero from one side of the wall to the other, we still do not stop the conductive air currents from moving through the insulation itself vertically both in the ceiling and the walls.

EPS Insulation is 'air impermeable' and cannot support internal air currents. As it is applied, it expands completly, filling every nook-and-cranny, creating a complete air-seal. The value of this total seal is almost impossible to overestimate because most of the heat losses in the floors, walls and ceilings of homes have way more to do with the air-seal, rather than the R-Value. The R-value of a material is of no interest or consequence if air can get past it!

Air infiltration can most effectively be stopped with EPS Insulation. It is the only material, that when applied, will expand to fill all the corners, cripple studs, double studs, bottom plates and top plates, etc.

R-value tables are part of the Myth; they show EPS and the fiber insulations side by side, implying they can be compared. The fact is, without taking installation conditions and air movement into account, these comparisons are meaningless.

EPS provides its own vapor barrier, water barrier, and wind barrier.

You only insulate once, but you're going to pay for your Heating and Cooling energy costs for a long time.

The EPS Pollution Myth

2008-10-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

A message from Duane Heil
vitruvianbuilt.com

EPS is a hugely non polluting product. Sure, if you throw it into the landfill, it never decomposes. Which is the property that makes it a great building material. And if you should ever want to actually remove the wall and roofs from a structure, EPS is endlessly recyclable. But the decay rate is essentially ZERO, so I could never imagine that panels would lose their value as a building element for the next structure. After all, with inflation, they should only appreciate. As far as being healthy, EPS does not off-gas. Our panels replace the plywood shear that is typically on the walls of a house...and plywood has plenty of glue and formaldehyde that offgasses. Also, EPS burns CLEANER than wood, should the place ever burn.

The pollution myth comes from the early days of producing alternate forms of EPS. A blowing agent (which is part of the manufacturing process) produced CFC's. Once this was realized, that method was stopped, just like hair-spray and de-oderant sprays. A reality about using light weight, strong stable materials is that the 'carbon-footprint' is about as small as one can get for any type of structure. And the overall consumption is hugely different in the completed structure and the cost is basically the same as wood framing. While material cost will be nearly double, labor will drop by 2/3'rds. However, if you were to use our software and plan out as accurately with every material that goes into the entire home, both structure and finishes, we consistently find overall savings from 5 to 20%. This is basically a function of better planning. But our software make this task much simpler.