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Recharge – Live off the grid. Options for power generation and self sufficiency. Losing a home to fire is not the end. Rise up from the ashes and recharge. The Phoenix Home is your charging station as you build back your power and home base.

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Fortify sustainability – Safe when things like fires or floods invade. Your sustainable fortress to keep you and your family safe and secure. Return home to peace of mind.

The Phoenix Home

The Phoenix Home

Design | Build

Rethink

A new approach to component based design, inspired by commercial methods and practices, allows us to streamline the design process without sacrificing your individuality.

Rebuild

A hybrid of traditional and off-site construction with reliable industry partners delivers an affordable, quality home on a predictable budget and timeline.

Renew

Type II Non-Combustible Construction, stunning design and the latest technology give you a safe, comfortable and beautiful place to return to your life.

Just like before, but better.

Simple, Fast, and Built to Last

In the face of adversity, we become stronger. This is our core belief and why we decided to build stronger homes to help survivors live a better life. Let your home be reborn as a better stronger version of itself. Build a fortified structure that will last for generations to come. Protect against natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes. Lock in the good and keep out the unwanted like termites, mold, mildew and allergens. These customizable sustainable structures are simple and attainable. They are constructed quickly and efficiently and allow you to start from scratch without worry.

Laurie C. Fisher
Architect
A California Registered Architect, Laurie has more than 20 years of experience in the United States and abroad. Her award-winning designs have garnered recoginition in print and within the design/construction industry.
After working with fire survivors to rebuild their homes, she saw and experienced first hand the many challenges and obstacles that these resilient people face and became determined to find a solution.
Taking advantage of her expertise in both commercial and residential design, Laurie combined the efficiencies and fire-resistant construction of commercial design with the custom, personal nature of residential design, creating The Phoenix Home.

Penna Construction, Inc
General Contractor
Penna Construction Inc. is a concrete & Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) specialist. We have been in the construction business at the same location in Capistrano Beach, CA since 1956 and have an outstanding track record of providing our customers with quality solutions, exceptional service and excellent craftsmanship. We take pride in sustainable and cost effective solutions, making the construction process smooth and seamless and allowing you to enjoy your new home sooner.

My heart goes out to all of you who have experienced what is certainly the worst nightmare of your life. But you survived, and you will return. The silver lining in all this is that you get a brand new home; let’s work together to make that happen as easily and painlessly as possible.

Laurie C. Fisher, CA Registered Architect

Key Features

• All Electric/Net Zero
• Photovoltaic Array
• Fire Resistant/Non-Combustable Construction

• Natural Ventilation/Fully Operable Windows
• European Style Cabinets
• VRF High-Efficiency Compact Duct System

• Aluminum Clad Wood Windows
• “Smart House” App Controlled HVAC/Lighting

• Roll-In Showers
• Indoor/Outdoor Living
• Smart, Fast, & Built-To-Last Construction

The Cement Industry: Paving its way Towards a Carbon Neutral Future

   It’s no secret that the cement industry has a dirty past, emitting nearly 5% of global CO2 emissions. Why is that? Because traditionally, in order to make cement you heat up limestone in a kiln which is powered by fossil fuels (primarily coal) and when you heat up limestone, it off- gases a lot of CO2. But that isn’t the whole story, what people might not realize is that after cement is manufactured, it naturally sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere in a process called “carbonation”. Since no two batches of cement are 100% identical, carbonation rates vary considerably with concrete properties, which also change depending on where in the world the materials originated. Yet on a global average, roughly a third of cement’s process emissions are re-absorbed within the first two years, and over the course of decades, this number rises to 48%. But the cement industry won’t settle for reduced carbon emission they want net-zero. In the past ten years Jeffery Rissman’s research, CarbonCure Technologies Inc., and DeCristofaro chief technologies officer of Solidia Technologies have collectively made huge advancements in carbon sequestrating, making the cement industry a solution instead of a problem in the fight against climate change.

   

   Accountability

   Jeffrey Rissman is the Industry Program Director and Head of Modeling at Energy Innovation. He leads modeling efforts for the firm’s Energy Policy Solutions to determine the policies that most effectively help meet climate and energy goals. In a Green Biz article, Rissman highlights some of the policies that could incentivize the cement industry to reach a carbon-negative future. One of the suggested policies was carbon pricing, such as a carbon tax that gives cement makers a financial incentive to install carbon capturing equipment and make other innovative upgrades to their facilities. Along that same vein, Rissman proposes government research and development support that drives down the cost of new technologies, new biofuels and techniques for electrical generation of the high temperatures used to heat the kiln in the cement-making process. Lastly, one of the most important things the cement industry lacks is industrial process emissions standards and energy efficiency standards. Holding the industry accountable for the emissions they emit will drive the industry to grow in new ways and ultimately make it more profitable.

   Process

   Although most of us would like industrial emitters to stop producing CO2 all together, the reality is that it will probably be a long time before we see an emission free industrial revolution. We can also be certain that this process will not happen overnight. So the question is how to we deal with this situation in the mean time? CarbonCure is a company leading a global movement to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment, using recycled CO2 to improve the manufacturing process of the world’s most abundant man-made material, concrete. CarbonCure uses CO2 sourced from industrial emitters as an ingredient in the concrete mixing process, creating a more sustainable masonry product with a lower carbon footprint. As mentioned above, concrete already sequesters CO2 naturally, but by adding it into the mix before it even has a chance to cure greatly increases the amount of CO2 it traps. Furthermore, the patented CarbonCure Technology is retrofitted into existing concrete plants in a single day, making the transition to a lower carbon footprint seamless for the industry.

How is it done?

   A computer takes care of executing the proportions of CO2 to cement ratio, insuring that each batch is consistent and has the optimal properties for making a sustainable product. Once the CO2 is injected into the wet concrete mix, the CO2 reacts with the calcium ions from the limestone in the cement mixture. As this process is happening the CO2 is chemically changing to calcium carbonate which becomes permanently embedded in the concrete. Since the CO2 was chemically changed into a mineral, this ensures that the CO2 will never be released back into the atmosphere. Moving forward, companies like CarbonCure should be an example of how an ancient process can be improved for modern times.

   Revised Recipe

   Much like CarbonCure, Solidia Technologies wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of the cement industry, and achieved that through a different approach. Solidia Technologies came up with a new recipe for cement that uses less limestone, and more clay lowering the amount of heat needed (less fossil fuels) to process the materials and amount of CO2 initially off-gassed. Solidia Technologies new cement also needs to sequester carbon in order to cure, greatly increasing the amount of carbon it captures throughout its lifecycle.

The Bigger Picture

   Accountability, innovation, and drive to make a more sustainable future is the current path of the cement industry. People build with concrete because it typically last two to three times longer than other common building materials, its versatile (can be used for foundations, walls, floors etc.), and has a greater thermal mass, meaning it is more energy efficient because of its ability to absorb and retain heat. For all of these reasons, concrete is one of the world’s most used building materials. This material is here to stay, but the process and recipe is evolving to make the future of our built environment, as well as our natural one, a better place to live in.

Written by Allison Devlin

Always in Search for a Better Way to Build

PART TWO

   Here at Forming Solutions we believe in the sustainability of our insulated concrete forms because although we use expanded polystyrene, a petroleum based product, we use it in a responsible way. We do not support the use of single use petroleum products such as plastic bags, takeout containers, and disposable straws. Moreover, we believe that petroleum products should be used in a way that will last for hundreds of years and in its lifetime save fossil fuels by using less energy to heat and cool the building. However, some environmentalists believe that petroleum products should not be used under any circumstance. In our quest to be a more sustainable company, we aim to be informed about environmentally friendly products that could have potential in the building industry. As mentioned in the first part of this blog, Forming Solutions looks to companies like Ecovative to lead the way for the building industry. Ecovative has developed a number of mushroom foam products to replace petroleum products over the past ten years.

What is Mushroom Foam?

   Beneath the surface of the ground, fungi form a wide network of thin, root like fibers called mycelium. Mycelium can be grown and formed into just about any shape, and is said to be stronger, pound for pound, than concrete. Mycelium mushroom foam is also 100% organic and compostable.

   Ecovative mulches mycelium and agricultural waste products like cornhusks, cottonseeds and buckwheat hulls, then grows the material together in a mold to create their own version of mushroom foam called MycoFoam. On average it takes about a week to complete the growing process. Below is an example of a finished product.

 

Mushroom Foam Today and in the Future

   Mushroom foam can be used for everything from hand planes to lamp shades, but is most commonly used for packaging. Ecovative started to make EcoCradle® packaging in 2012. Dell, a leading technology company, has used mushroom foam packaging since 2014 for their laptops and computers. In addition, IKEA announced in 2016 that it is planning to make the transition to mushroom packaging. Although packaging seems to be the leading use of the product, mushroom foam could have potential in the building industry. Ecovative did not stop at EcoCradle, they also made Mushroom® Insulation for tiny homes out of their MycoFoam in 2013.

   The Mushroom® Insulation has been tested by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and has a R-value of 3.72. Unfortunately, this does not come close to the R- 23.5 of an Insulated Concrete Form. A vital aspect of a sustainable building is closing the thermal envelope to improve energy efficiency. Therefore, the mushroom foam insulation is not yet suitable for insulating net-zero energy structures. Nevertheless, the more that builders and consumers alike demand more efficient yet sustainable products, the sooner we will see them on the market.

   Although it looks like it will be a while before mushroom foam is ready to replace the expanded polystyrene, Forming Solutions is excited to hear that forward thinking companies are finding ways to begin to eliminate single use petroleum products. While EPS is not the ultimate solution, we firmly believe that is the best option currently available for building great structures that will last. In order to make a significant difference in energy consumption and the overall sustainability of where we live and work, our focus should be on using such precious materials for the things we want to last for a lifetime.

Written by Allison Devlin

Always in Search for a Better Way to Build

PART ONE

   Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. If Forming Solutions is trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible, why aren’t we distributing a block made with bio foam as opposed to the expanded polystyrene foam that is in the Insulated Concrete Forms. Is there such a product that exists for building?

Looking Forward

   The short answer is, no. There are no soy, algae, or mushroom based Insulated Concrete Forms available on the market. Just as consumers should demand innovation in the building industry, the building industry itself should seek to revolutionize. Right now, Forming Solutions does not have the capability to research and develop the kind of building materials we wish to distribute. However, we can be a part of perpetuating change in the building industry by sharing our practices and beliefs. 

   In our opinion, the quintessential building material does not exist yet. Our ideal building form would be a natural product that is sustainably attained, non biodegradable, free of chemicals, and can be 100% reused or recycled. It would also need to exhibit all of the same attributes of the current Insulated Concrete Forms, such as:

   The only difference between current ICFs and these “quintessential” standards is the fact that EPS is not inherently a sustainable product, meaning it could be used in ways that abuse the natural resource such as single use plastic and foam products. Nevertheless, the building form we use is made with EPS foam with no added chemicals. In addition, to ensure the excess foam from job sites is properly recycled, Forming Solutions collects the waste and delivers it to Marko Foam Inc. in Irvine, so none of our waste needs to end up in landfills.

   The building industry needs to find more efficient ways to do things using fewer natural resources. We need companies in this industry that are forward thinking, innovative, environmentally conscious, and that manufacture products here in America. Forming Solutions looks to companies like Ecovative, a progressive biomaterials company, to lead the way for the building industry. Ecovative has developed a number of mushroom foam products to replace petroleum products over the past ten years.

Written by Allison Devlin

2017 Event Recap

Happy New Year!
We had a great 2017! With a productive and busy year with little downtime, we wanted to highlight the events we were able to make it to this year. We attended many of our usual industry events but also squeezed in a few that peaked our personal interests.

Date: January 17th-19th
Event: World of Concrete
Location: Las Vegas

Since 1975, World of Concrete has been the only annual international event dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries. At W.O.C., leading industry professionals showcase innovative products and new technologies, at indoor and outdoor exhibits. There are also exciting demonstrations and competitions for those that want some entertainment!

Date: April 27th
Event: Living Futures Institute, Film Showing of Building Below Zero
Location: Downtown Los Angeles

In the film Building Below Zero, actor and environmentalist Ted Danson narrates the examination of the Net Zero Plus Transformation: buildings that produce and store more energy than they consume, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and positively impacting global climate change.

Date: August 24th
Event:Net-Zero Conference, Energy + Water + Waste
Location: Commerce, CA

The Net Zero Conference, Energy + Water + Waste, is the nation’s largest event dedicated to net zero building design. Attendee registration has nearly doubled in each of its first three years, showing the building industry’s increasing interest in a net zero future. The conference was held at IBEW-NECA’s Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute. The facility, a net zero plus building, housed nearly 700 attendees during the Net Zero 2017 event.

Date: August 31st
Event: Proximity Slide Show and Book Signing, Hosted by the Rob Machado Foundation
Location: Patagonia, Cardiff by the Sea

Award winning filmmaker,Taylor Steele directed PROXIMITY, a visceral portrait of modern surfing. The film follows eight of the world’s best surfers – four legends and four rising stars – as they search for new waves and deeper understanding ofexotic destinations.

Date: September 30th-October 1st
Event: Pacific Paddle Games presented by Salt Life- Deep Blue Event
Location: Doheny State Beach, Dana Point

At the Pacific Paddle Games, Sustainable Surf hosted a “Deep Blue Zone” that featured ECOBOARDS from Starboard, Infinity, NSP, Surftech and Earth Technologies, as well as demonstrated of the latest innovations in sustainable SUP board production and disposal.There wasonsite solar energy generation throughout the day.The P.P.G. also focused on eliminating plastic straws and providing recycling bins and water refill stations at this years event..

Date: November 2nd
Event: Save the Waves Film Festival
Location: Poler, Laguna Beach

Films Viewed:

Fish People– Directed by Keith Malloy
Island Earth– Directed by Cyrus Sutton
Mas Afuera – Directed by PatoMekis
Under an Arctic Sky– Directed by Chris Burkard.

Save the Waves curated a great selection of short films that articulated the importance of people and the ocean working together, and why we need to protect this scared relationship.

Date: December 14th
Event: Living Earth Systems Film Showing
Location: Blind Lady Ale House, San Diego

Living Earth Systems is a holistic design firm specializing in sustainable farm design. Their goal as a company is to provide both inspiration and education for implementing a lifestyle that is good for people and the earth.

We hope to see some friendly faces and some new ones at next year’s events. Always feel free to come up and say hello. Just look for our Forming Solutions hats! Cheers to a productive and exciting 2018 from us at Forming Solutions!

Written by: Allison Devlin

Disasters Don’t Have to be Devastating

In the past six months there have been devastating natural disasters here in America and abroad. We accept the tragedies that natural disasters bring as unavoidable and inevitable, but we don’t have to. We don’t have to lose our schools, hospitals, businesses, and homes, that much is preventable. Consumers have to demand more from the construction industry. They have to speak up and say, “Stop building me a house that keeps falling down, burning, molding, getting termites, etc. Build me something better. Build me something with Insulated Concrete Forms.”

The picture above shows ICF homes in a San Diego Suburb still standing after a wildfire swept through the area1.

We have to think critically and ask ourselves, why haven’t we learned from our mistakes? Why do we keep building with wood? A recent article in the Los Angeles Times reports, “The Wine Country wildfires destroyed at least 8,400 structures”2. If any other industry made products that continually failed, consumers would demand innovation, especially if that product was essential to your everyday life. ICF is that innovation in the building industry, and Forming Solutions is here to supply it.

The Time to Educate is Now

Forming Solutions is here to help contractors, architects, homeowners, business owners, and investors, take initiative and educate themselves on a better way to build. If people don’t, a considerable amount of the reconstruction in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Spain, Portugal, and The Wine Country will be rebuilt using conventional stick frame methods, perpetuating the cycle of destruction whenever disaster strikes. With all of the unthinkable misfortune that came with these disasters, societies now have the opportunity to rebuild in a way that can prevent an incident like this in the future.

ICF Disaster Facts

Insulated Concrete Forms perform excellent in fire rating tests. In these tests ICF walls were subject to continuous gas flames and temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours. None of the ICF walls ever failed structurally3. Unlike wood, concrete doesn’t burn. Therefore, an ICF structure is less likely to spread fires as well. In addition, ICF structures can withstand winds over 200 mph and projectile debris traveling over 100mph4. ICF is also a great option for structures in areas prone to flooding. ICF is water resistant due to the non-absorbent nature of the expanded polystyrene (EPS) that is used in the insulated concrete formwork5. Hurricanes, tornados, floods, and fires will continue to happen, but we can make them less devastating. Forming Solutions wants people to keep their homes, businesses, and livelihoods after trying times, such as natural disasters. Meet us halfway and choose ICF for your next building project.

This ICF home is still standing even though Hurricane Katrina caught it mid-construction6.

1 “Survivor Stories.” Floridagreenconstruction.us. Accessed October 25, 2017.
2 Vives, Ruben, and Richard Winton. “Fire loss total surges to 8,400 structures in Northern California.” Latimes.com. October 23, 2017. Accessed October 24, 2017.
3 “Fire Resistance of Concrete Homes.” Forms.org. Accessed October 24, 2017.
“ICFs and Severe Weather.” Foxblocks.com. Accessed October 24, 2017.
“Flood Resistant Design.” Nuduraicfs.co.uk. Accessed October 24, 2017.
“Katrina_web.” Icfdirect.net. Accessed November 7, 2017.

 

Written by Allison Devlin

 

Built to Last Over a Century

Sustainable. A cliché we hear too often, yet never enough in a meaningful way.

Wood is considered by many to be a sustainable building material. However, wood is deemed sustainable almost solely because it’s renewable. In reality, it’s not an ideal building material and certainly not meant to “sustain” itself for very long. Wood is susceptible to mold, rot, termites, fires and natural disasters. It almost never lives up to its true longevity due to its incapacity to cope with environmental factors. As a result, more natural resources are used to re-build, adding to the fifteen billion trees cut down annually.¹ On the other hand, ICF structures will last at least two hundred years with minimal maintenance.² In addition, ICF has a four-hour fire rating and is termite and pest resistant.³ If everyone in America chose to build with ICF, U.S. property owners would save over five billion dollars alone from avoiding termite damage.4

Additional Factors of Sustainability

Here at Forming Solutions, we understand that sustainability isn’t just about making things that last. There are several factors to consider when determining the sustainability of a product. For example, one should speculate energy efficiency, manufacturing process, installation, and the disposal of byproduct waste.

Energy Efficiency– ICF structures are inherently energy efficient due to their Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) core, which gives ICFs an R Value of 30-60 depending on the thickness of the core.5 This translates to property owners using 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool the interior of a structure verses a traditional stick-frame building.6

Manufacturing ProcessEPS it is made from styrene, a by-product of crude oil extraction. No oil is extracted solely for EPS production. See the graph below for a breakdown.7

Installation– We use ICF base, a company that connects the best concrete specialists, general contractors, architects, dealers, engineers, and installers, all specializing in ICF. Essentially, they make ICF dream teams specifically for your area, to make an ICF project an easy success. Keeping everything local reduces the need for transportation and limits carbon emissions, but it also helps build a trusted network with people in your own community.

Waste– Since ICF is made from high grade EPS, it is one hundred percent recyclable. We take the scrap foam and number six plastic webs from sites we have worked with and deliver it to Marko Foam in Irvine. Marko Foam then recycles our EPS into surfboard blanks.8 In short, we are recycling a waste product of crude oil.


¹ Worland, Justin. “Here’s How Many Trees Humans Cut Down Each Year.” Time. September 02, 2015. http://time.com/4019277/trees-humans-deforestation/.
² “Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF’s).” Builderswebsource.com. June 30, 2012. http://www.builderswebsource.com/techbriefs/about_icfs.htm.
³ “ICF Construction on Fire Resistant Homes.” Foxblocks.com. June 23, 2014. http://www.foxblocks.com/news/.
“The Real Facts about Termite Damage.” American Pests. January 21, 2015. https://www.americanpest.net/blog/post/the-real-facts-about-termite-damage.
“ICF Energy Efficiency .” ICF Base. https://www.icfbase.com/learn/icf-energy-efficiency/.
“ICF Facts.” ICF Homes. http://www.icfhomes.com/DYKpages/dykFACTS.htm.
“How Expanded Polystyrene is Manufactured.” http://www.rmax.com.au/manufacture.html.
“Marko Foam x Forming Solutions.” Forming Solutions. https://formingsolutionsicf.com/building-green/marko-foam-x-forming-solutions/.

 

Written by Allison Devlin