Extended Plate & Beam Wall System - Summary of Initial Assessment

A new high performance wall system – Extended Plate and Beam (EP&B) – is currently under development and evaluation. Multiple approaches to higher R-value walls systems have been demonstrated since the 1970’s. However, market penetration of these wall systems remains low, due in part to the added complexity and variations from standard details.

Any large-scale builder transition to a higher performing wall system will require construction details and methods that are based on common and accepted industry practices. This is understood based on the minimal diffusion of alternative wall systems such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) or Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) wall technologies that have a long history in the building industry. The transition time for builders to make significant changes to construction practices is known to extend over decades. The EP&B wall system was developed as an opportunity to bridge this long transition timeframe by maintaining industry accepted construction practices while employing wall design features that increase the thermal performance of the wall by over 50%.

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