Is Gigacrete Good to Use For an Eco-Friendly Green Home?

Have you heard of Gigacrete and is it any good?

Sasha P Published: Aug. 29, 2019, 4:21 p.m.Last updated: Aug. 4, 2020, 6:48 p.m.

Do you have any reviews or suggestions for Gigacrete homes? They seem eco-friendly with a tight building envelope. There's just not much info out there.

Responses (1)

Ecohome Oct. 2, 2019, 5 p.m. Reply

Hi Sasha

It seems like EPS panels that encapsulate probably double stud light frame steel construction. Light frame steel definitely sweats if left too close to the cold side, and will corrode. It seems to be acrylic-based stucco finishes placed straight on the foam, and we know that SIFE-like systems aren't well adapted to colder or humid climates. With no rainscreen, freeze-thaw can kill an unprotected wall in a season. How does it handle moisture? What about thermal bridging from the steel?

It seems decent for a desert climate like Vegas, but not sure how it would fare elsewhere. Not to mention that from a cursory glance it also seems like it would have quite a high embodied energy.

There are a lot of emerging new prefab type wall assemblies and high performance prefab kit houses , and from what we see about Gigacrete it wouldn't be on our short list, but thanks for drawing our attention to it.

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