As best evidence of the durability of insulating concrete forms, Greg Doren of Advantage Wallsystems Inc. pointed to a remarkable aerial photo on the wall: A large stucco-covered concrete home, standing intact and alone, among the smouldering rubble of surrounding wood domiciles, flattened during 1993 wildfires in Laguna Beach, Calif.

The pic appeared in National Geographic — no fiddling, no retouching, no Photoshopping.

As you meditate upon the scene, you almost expect Practical Pig to poke his snout out the door, and chirp to his two luckless brothers: “Hey, fellas. Sorry about your sticks and straw.”

Doren and his partner, company president Pat Cymbala, can trot out a dozen good reasons why their brand of insulating concrete forms (ICFs) appears to blow traditional “stick-built” homes, hotels, and apartment complexes out of the water.

David Lazarowych, Business Edge
Advantage Wallsystems Inc. project manager Bill Coulson works on a new home that features insulating concrete forms.

Draft-free, and super-comfortable. Strong. Soundproof. Energy efficient and environmentally correct. Fire resistant. Hurricaneproof. Bulletproof.

Bulletproof?

“Hey, nobody knows how the world’s gonna go,” Doren said, arching his eyebrows. “Down the road, that might be a selling point.”

By no means has the seven-year-old Crossfield-based startup cornered the ICF market in Alberta. But the company’s fully patented version of these expanded polystyrene, interlocking building blocks — sorta like Lego on steroids – has elbowed its way into the construction market in a pretty big way.

How big? Well, as the Friendly Giant might say, sales are w-a-a-a-ay up. From a figure of $500,000 four years ago, the current numbers have climbed closer to $2.3 million.

Advantage-designed materials have been used in the construction of more then 350 homes, plus dozens of commercial and industrial structures.

And the Alberta Ready Mixed Concrete Association confirms the company has captured a 58-per-cent provincial market share for ICFs.

Currently, the Advantage Wallsystems’ honour roll includes Edmonton’s Tracer Building; a 3,000 sq.-ft. condo complex now going up in Calgary’s Kensington district; and the 120-suite Marriott Residence Inn, where management believes ICF construction guarantees guests an uninterrupted snooze beneath the flight paths of Calgary International Airport.

The use of ICFs in construction is about 25 years old, although they’re still considered new technology. And, in an increasingly environmentally conscious world, ICFs are being embraced as a particularly attractive and timely building option.

Because, despite the ups and downs of forestry markets, trees are a limited and precious resource. And even when traditional materials are plentiful, the quality of wood used for building products isn’t always what it once was.

Fossil fuels are a limited resource, too, and their emissions are everybody’s favourite pariah.

Enter the ICF manufacturers, who say their various methods of loading air-filled, polystyrene blocks with steel-reinforced concrete can save the environment, while saving homeowners many bucks.

Homes with ICS exterior walls require about 44 per cent less energy to heat, meaning owners can save hundreds of dollars a year in fuel costs.

Meanwhile, the use of ICFs increase capital costs by no more than eight per cent. So what’s not to like?

Lifelong buddies who grew up in Edmonton, Cymbala and Doren were in their early 30s, and working for different employers in the construction trade, when the start-up bug bit.

The partners were intrigued by the ICF concept, and their interest was heightened after a look-see at a residential construction site in Kelowna, B.C. The builders were working with ICFs, and, Cymbala winced, “did an awful job. Worst house I ever saw. But we could see the product itself had merit.”

Shortly thereafter, Cymbala and Doren started distributing another company’s ICF design, in which they eventually spotted shortcomings.

“We came up with a couple of ideas to improve the product, and approached them,” Doren said. “Quite frankly, they weren’t interested. So if they’re not going to incorporate our changes, why wouldn’t we do it ourselves?”

They did. Their innovations were radical enough to convince the Canadian Patent Office to nod in approval.

These new designs have resulted in improved strength all around. They allow the polystyrene outer shell to better withstand the punishment inherent in the necessary process of internally vibrating the concrete, after it’s poured into the insulating forms.

Another innovation is an easy-stacking interlocking system which allows the convenient alignment of studs throughout the structure. Drywallers everywhere are already muttering prayers of heart-felt thanks.

With sales and orders flowing in, Cymbala and Doren are now considering expansion to B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

And they look forward to the day when they can say to their counterparts in the stick-building game: “Hey fellas. Sorry about your sticks and straw.”