Nexcem ICF
Nexcem ICF Insulated Concrete Forms for the Australian Homes
IDNA Homes are pioneers in using the Nexcem building material to build ICF concrete form homes in Australia and recommend this product for every new home building project.
With thirty years of construction experience, the IDNA Homes team realised that traditional building materials are not the best suited to the Australian climate. Yet, conventional materials like timber and brick remain the popular choice for many builders. They’re also not energy efficient if used without proper insulation resulting in homeowners paying excessive heating and cooling costs.
Homes built in Australia have additional risks, including:
- High humidity – attractive to termites and mould
- High fire risk – from flushes of vegetation growth followed by dry spells
- Changeable weather conditions – extreme hot and cold temperatures from season to season, and even inside the same day during weather events
The Nexcem insulated concrete forms (ICF) is a product that efficiently mitigates against the potential environmental threats of Australian weather, as well as having multiple other performance benefits:
- Fireproof (4 hr fire rating, 0 smoke spread, 0 flame spread)
- Moisture resistant
- Soundproof
- Promotes healthy interiors (breathable / inhibits mould)
- More energy efficient (insulation on the exterior of thermal mass)
- Impact-resistant
- Termite/vermin resistant
Choosing superior, environmentally friendly materials like Nexcem ICF insulated concrete forms for your design will guarantee that your building will endure for generations while having minimal impact on the environment around us.
Fireproof
Living the Australian dream isn’t without risk, with many communities facing the threat of fires at different times of the year. IDNA Homes selects fireproof building materials such as Durisol-Nexcem to reduce the risks.
During testing, the IDNA Homes concrete form of choice obtained the non-combustibility test AS/NZ1530.1 while scoring up to six-hour fire ratings during tests in Canada and Austria.
Building your new home with the Durisol-Nexcem provides peace of mind with:
- 4+ hours Fire Resistance Rating
- Zero Flame Spread
- Zero Smoke Developed
- Zero Fuel Contributed
The surface burning characteristics of Nexcem far surpasses all other types of stay-in-place formwork. Unlike foam, Nexcem will not ignite, melt, sustain fire or release toxic fumes in the event of a fire.
The Nexcem product is inflammable itself, and when used as a wall system in homes, it provides considerable protection from fires. That’s why it’s the number one choice of new home builders, Berens Construction.
Moisture Resistant
Beyond the safety benefits of being fireproof, Nexcem provides an additional layer of moisture protection.
During the fierce storms and extreme weather events that we experience in Australia, even the highest quality exterior finishes can’t always withstand the rain. In these kinds of events, moisture can become temporarily trapped in walls.
For many traditional building materials, this trapped moisture can cause damage and deterioration. That’s why IDNA Homes builds with the Nexcem product.
Suppose moisture does become temporarily trapped within the wall. In that case, the Nexcem wall system can accommodate this moisture without sustaining any damage to itself, ensuring the structural integrity of your home isn’t compromised.
The Nexcem system will absorb some moisture, enabling it to create a buffer against rapid swings in humidity by regulating water vapour.
Soundproof
Family life can be rowdy, so it pays to consider the soundproofing qualities of your new home. With home’s built by IDNA Homes with the Nexcem wall system, you won’t have to share that noise between different rooms, or the neighbours for that matter!
As a solid-form building product, the Nexcem wall system provides considerable protection against unwanted noise by absorbing it.
- STC ratings for Nexcem wall systems range between 54 and 72
- The exposed surface of the Nexcem Wall Form can provide Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) ratings as high as 1.0
The sound absorptive properties of our material, in combination with the mass of the wall system, can provide an ideal combination of sound absorption and transmission properties.
Promotes Healthy Interiors
Breathing easily at home is a concern for so many asthma and allergy sufferers. Yet, with high humidity and a subtropical climate, many homes around Australia have issues with mould.
IDNA Homes choose the Nexcem material as it provides a solution that promotes healthy interiors resistant to mould and is safe for asthma and allergy sufferers.
The cement content of the Nexcem material creates an above average pH environment at the wall surface which inhibits the growth of fungi and viruses. The Nexcem material is chemically inactive with no VOCs or off-gassing.
Additionally, the hygroscopic nature of the material moderates the relative humidity levels and doesn’t allow damp corners to surface in the home. This regulation of water vapour keeps humidity low and further serves to repress any type of fungal growth.
However, there’s also this other benefit, called thermal bridging, that is another benefit of Nexcem. It’s to do with how energy from the sun flows through the building structure, ensuring the walls are the same temperature no matter where you are in the home.
Inconsistencies in temperatures can cause some areas to have condensation problems, allowing mould and fungi spores to start populating on windows and furnishings.
Nexcem wall forms avoid thermal short-circuiting while ensuring uniform wall temperatures with no cold spots to encourage condensation, create discomfort, or cause dust marking.
More energy efficient
While well-placed windows and ventilation systems are essential in creating an energy-efficient home, the thermal mass effect can also make a considerable impact—especially when you live in a changeable Australian climate.
It considers how fast the internal temperature of a home will reach the same temperature as outside and has important implications for both heating and cooling your new home.
The Nexcem wall system provides excellent insulation that provides a thermal lag of at least 8 hours. During a hot Australian summer’s day, the maximum temperature reached around the middle of the day won’t penetrate the home. Instead, the hottest internal temperature won’t be reached until well into the evening when the outside air has already cooled, so the inside temp won’t ever reach the midday peak.
The thermal lag properties of Nexcem are just as effective at keeping warmth inside the home during the colder months.
The added benefit is that this kind of buffering significantly reduces the reliance on cooling and heating systems, meaning you’ll have a more comfortable and energy-efficient home with a Nexcem build with IDNA Homes.
Thermal mass also acts to reduce the need for cooling by absorbing and storing solar energy that falls on walls. The thermal lag of a Nexcem wall is at least 8 hours—the maximum temperature inside occurs 8 hours after the maximum outside temperature.
Termite/ Evermin Resistant
In Queensland and other areas of Australia, homes are susceptible to termites. The climate is perfect for them, and traditional timber homes are particularly vulnerable.
Unlike wood and other non-hygroscopic material, the Nexcem product provides significant resistance against termites, making it IDNA Homes’ number one choice for termite prevention.
This resistance has undergone testing in several international programs, where Nexcem samples were placed in termite-infested areas without damage for as long as six years.
Are you considering the Nexcem wall system for your new home?
Chat with IDNA Homes about the benefits today.
