OasisLMS

This is a recorded webinar from April 16, 2025.

This webinar is jointly sponsored by NEx: An ACI Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials and the American Concrete Institute (ACI).

Exterior walls play a critical role in building appearance as well as sustainability and energy performance. Combustible components of exterior walls, however, can pose a significant risk to fire safety if they contribute to fire spread and cause fires to grow in size and intensity. The risks posed to life safety have been under significant focus following high profile, large loss fatal building fires such as Grenfell Tower. The International Building Code requires exterior wall assemblies with combustible components to limit vertical and lateral flame propagation by meeting NFPA 285 compliance criteria. Recent updates to these codes allow engineering analysis to confirm compliance.Insulating Concrete Form walls combine reinforced concrete for strength and durability and expanded polystyrene insulation for energy efficiency. The EPS insulation is a combustible component for exterior wall construction. This presentation reviews the development of NFPA 285 as well as a case study involving testing and engineering analysis of ICF wall assemblies to demonstrate compliance with updated code requirements for fire safety.

1. Understand what ICFs are and how they are being used in building construction.
2. Review historical development of NFPA 285.
3. Discuss recent changes to the NFPA 285 test standard, particularly the new Annex B.
4. Discuss testing and analysis of two unique ICF wall constructions and analysis.

Study the materials included in this module. Then, complete and pass the corresponding 10-question quiz with a score of 80% or higher to receive a certificate for 0.1 CEU (1.0 PDH).
Continuing Education Credit: 0.1 CEU (1.0 PDH)
Approved AIA (LU/HSW) and ICC
Access Period: 30 days