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NY fire district chooses to build station with ICF for energy efficiency and disaster resistance
(Mechanicville, NY) - TF Forming Systems’ ThermoForm vertical ICF system was recently selected for the Fire Station project of the Halfmoon Volunteer Fire District No. 1, Mechanicville, NY.
Voters passed the referendum for the new fire station earlier this year, giving the nearly 50-year-old volunteer fire department an opportunity to build an addition to the station capable of housing all of their vehicles and emergency equipment. The 9,000 SF addition will also house the administrative offices and act as a continuing education-training center and community meeting room.
“Our present station is 50 years old and quite outdated,” Jim McBride, Halfmoon Board Member, said. “We have grown tremendously in the past 10 years, so we needed the new space. We are building it for now and the future.”
“We have found Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) to be more cost effective for the types of projects we have been doing lately, in this case the fire station for both the foundation walls and exterior walls. ICFs incorporate the insulation requirements and R-values needed for the Energy Code,” said Jospeh Krupka, Intern Architect with Architectural and Engineering Design Associates, P.C.
“Vertical ICF construction is ingenious and the benefits ripple straight through to your bottom line,” states Jason Frederico, Project Manager from the Jerson Construction Group, the General Contractor for the project.
“Although I have a decade of concrete experience and surrounded by decades of concrete knowledge choosing the right ICF form for the Halfmoon Fire Department, at first, felt discouraging,” Frederico said. “Each ICF company I talked to guaranteed their product was the best, but could not clearly explain their benefits over the competition. Once I was informed of the differences by TF Systems’ friendly and eager sales team the benefits were clear.”
The building will be constructed using ThermoForm insulated concrete forms from TF Forming Systems. TF Forming Systems is the inventor of the nation’s first VERTICAL ICF system, offering greater design flexibility and a more robust system for both the builder and owner. Buildings constructed with ThermoForm offer protection from natural and man-made disasters as well as a substantial reduction in energy usage.
“I had not heard of them (ICF’s) before,” said Jim McBride, Halfmoon Board Member. “One the things we looked at was trying to save on energy costs and secondly, being able to go up a lot quicker than regular block.
Aside from acting as a fire station, McBride said the station, because of strength of the reinforced insulated concrete walls, could also act as a shelter for residents during disasters.
Construction on the new addition began in late July with installation specialists from TF Forming Systems on hand to offer training. Completion of the project is expected the end of this year.
To learn more about TF Forming Systems and why more architects and builders are turning to insulated concrete for energy efficiency and disaster resistant buildings, contact us today. Contact Mary Guccione at 920-737-4070 and visit our website at tfsystem.com.
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