BECOWallform

BecoWallform

Where there is an identified risk of flooding, there is a recognised need to adopt construction methods and materials that will be more resilient to water absorption and hydraulic pressure, even to the extent of being fully waterproofed to protect those human and material assets under threat.

Wallform ICF is a proven wall construction that is already in widespread use to build low energy, highly insulated buildings, reducing energy demand and serving to eliminate fuel poverty. The materials employed in the building process are robust, strong and resistant to the passage of moisture – flood resilient!

Beco WALLFORM (aka isorast in Germany) was developed over forty years ago as a more practical building system that would speed up the building process and provide higher standards of energy efficiency than obtained traditionally. Using expanded polystyrene and concrete, both common building materials, the relatively straightforward construction proved to be highly versatile, used to build basements and multistorey buildings as well as general housing and individual homes.

The materials used and their configuration in the building design create, in their basic format, a wall construction that is inherently resilient to water ingress.

In the event of flooding the construction absorbs very little moisture, minimising damage and speeding up the general processes of recovery and repair. Realising a fully waterproof specification is relatively simple, carried out in conjunction with the other elements of the building. The concrete may also be reinforced if necessary to counteract any hydraulic pressure on the structure.

Wallform was the first building system to be approved by the German Passivhaus Institut almost twenty-five years ago and has continued to grow and expand in the market for zero energy and Passivhaus quality buildings. Manufactured today in North Lincolnshire and South Wales, Beco WALLFORM continues to grow as a practical specification for building low energy homes up to Passivhaus standards. The materials are relatively low-tech and easy to use, simplifying the procurement process and making better use of locally available labour and material resources.

Environmentally, the materials now project beyond net zero CO2 by means of local manufacture, carbon capture in the production of cement, and carbonation of the concrete over a long period of service. The insulation is an air-filled material that will recover many times its own embodied energy within the normal life expectancy of a building. The materials may all be recycled, either individually or as an alternative composite building material.

In summary, Beco WALLFORM is a proven building system that is not only energy efficient, but has the particular attributes of also being flood resilient, durable and structurally capable of providing protection against the damage and costs of flooding incidents in the community.

BecoWallform – Building for the Future

November 2020