SIPs are Stronger

From room additions to entire schools, strength ‑ build with SIPs. Premier SIPs are extremely strong. Studies have shown that Premier SIPs are at minimum 20% stronger than dimensional lumber.

Strength in building materials and systems is judged by the materials' ability to withstand the forces of nature. Data to determine strength properties is gathered by destructive testing, and specific tests are utilized to evaluate a SIPs' performance in high winds, earthquakes and snow load conditions The testing program on Premier's panel systems is the most extensive in the industry. Our SIPs are exceptionally strong in racking diaphragm shear capacities, which are the primary structural properties that engineers are concerned with when designing for seismic and hurricane events. Not only do test results show Premier SIPs are stronger, but natural disasters have proven it time and again.

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SIPs vs. Mother Nature

Structural Insulated Panels have been tested by fire, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados with no structural damage:

SIPs Withstand Earthquakes

The SIP building system has received the highest designation possible for a building material ‑ a Class 6 Seismic Designation from the State of California. SIPs are more resistant to earthquakes than any other type of construction and can provide safe shelter during a major earthquake. During 1993, an earthquake struck Kobe, Japan, devastating a large area of that city. The aftermath revealed that stick‑built houses were destroyed while SIP houses came through the earthquake virtually unscathed.

Updated seismic hazard maps from the U.S. Geological Survey show the newly discovered, shallow fault lines south of Victoria, along the Olympic peninsula, and in northwest Washington State, south of Abbotsford, could cause earthquakes that would result in severe damage potentially costing billions of dollars (Updated Earthquake Maps Show Fault Lines Run into BC, April 24, 2008, CTV British Columbia ‑ Vancouver, Canada). This means building with structurally sound material in the Bellingham region is a sound choice.

Contact Sun Spaces to protect your home renovations with SIPs.

SIPs Take-On Tornados

Remember the tornado of 1972? The Portland‑Vancouver tornado left a wake of destruction 9 miles long across Oregon and Washington, leaving 301 injured and 6 dead. Housing construction has come a long way since 1972. SIP homes have withstood the test of tornados time and again. If there will be another tornado in Washington, you want your home or new room addition to be constructed with the very strongest of material ‑ PBS Structural Insulated Panels.

One example of how well SIPs have taken on tornados is related to a couple living in Tennessee. Mac and Kim Chelsey built their two story home out of SIPs because the material promised more durability, energy efficiency, and a quieter environment than found in stick built homes. They did not expect to be woken by the horrendous noise of a tornado barreling down on their new home. Imagine their relief when their SIP home withstood the 200 mile/hour winds and the only damage to their house were two broken windows and a few loose roof shingles.

In another example, in March 1998 a tornado struck Clermont, GA, in. The tornado destroyed 27 home, including 7 homes near a SIP house that stood strong in the face of devastation. While the owner of the home lost 25 mature trees to the storm and half of its shingles, the house suffered no structural damage.

SIPs Resist Fire

Fire investigators and numerous tests have found that the buildings constructed of SIPs resist fire exceptionally well. SIP wall, roof, and ceiling assemblies have been tested and found to resist fire for a minimum of one hour.

In one case where the structure exceeded 1,000°F (538°C) in the ceiling areas and 200°F (93°C) near the floors, most wall panels and much of the ceiling remained intact. An examination of the wall panels revealed that the foam core had neither melted nor delaminated from the skins. In similar cases, a lack of oxygen seemingly caused the fire to extinguish itself. The air supply in a structural insulated panel home can be quickly consumed in a fire.

Sun Spaces and R‑Control Give Your Home the Strength You Rely On

All PBS SIPs are a strong structural system consisting of rigid foam insulation laminated between sheets of structural sheathing. This simple sandwich forms an amazingly strong structural panel. This strength makes PBS SIPs one the strongest building systems available.

Get stronger now. Get a free SIP consultation today!