Two Community Organizations come together in a New ICF Facility to Serve the Penacook Community for the next 50 to 60 Years
ICF Gives New Life to the Heart of This Community Center that is now Also Home to Boys & Girls Club
The Penacook Community Center served the Concord, New Hampshire area with day care and afterschool programs for decades. In the aftermath of COVID-19, and with a building beyond repair, the future of the center appeared bleak. But, in the late fall of 2021, a meeting between Cathy Furlong, president of the Penacook Community Center, and Chris Emond, CEO of the Concord Boys & Girls Club, put the wheels in motion to merge the two organizations. The result was a plan for a new, energy-efficient facility to better serve the Penacook community.
To provide a building that would stand the test of time, ICF construction was selected. The existing community center was demolished, along with two residential buildings used for childcare, in April of 2023. Construction for the 8.900 square-foot Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire began in July of 2023, with a scheduled completion date of August, 2024.
Milestone Engineering and Construction served as the general contractor, with Key Industries as the insulated concrete form (ICF) installer. The Nudura® system was supplied by Atlantic Builders Supply Northeast.
Key Industries Was the ICF Installer for the 8900-square-foot Project
The project required several Nudura products, including:
- More than 500 eight-inch-core forms
- PrebuckTM for 46 window and 10 door openings
- Enviro-Dri® weather-resistant barrier for above-grade walls
- TREMPROTM 540 waterproofing membrane for below-grade water proofing
The building includes elevations of 12, 14, and 16 feet, as well as a 20-foot-high section to accommodate the central multi-use space of the community center.
PrebuckTM Makes Window Installation Easy with a Weather-Treated Nailer around the Full Opening for Each Window and Door
Complete Six Building Steps with One Product
ICF construction streamlines the building process by combining six steps into one. The Nudura system installs quickly and efficiently. The ICFs consist of two panels of expanded polystyrene (EPS) that are 25/8” in thickness, eliminating the need for other insulation products that are far more labor-intensive to install. Builders and general contractors are able to use a single contractor, rather than four or five typically required to insulate and waterproof the shell.
- Form system
- Wall structure
- Insulation
- Air barrier
- Vapor barrier
- Interior/exterior finish anchorage
Unlike traditional construction methods, which can take three to four months to complete a weather-tight shell for a project of this size, by using ICF construction, Key Industries was able to complete the shell of the community center in two months, allowing the project to proceed ahead of schedule.
TREMPROTM 540 Below-Grade Vapor Barrier Is a Self-Adhering Sheet for Quick Application
According to Matthew Salmonson, vice president of Key Industries, “There is no way to tell just by looking, from the inside or the outside, that this is an ICF building.” Some of the additional benefits of ICF include soundproofing, which is provided by the combination of the concrete core and the EPS foam on each side of the structure. The same configuration also provides exceptional energy efficiency. With public buildings, operating costs are always a concern. With ICF construction, costs for heat and cooling can be reduced by as much as 40% to 50%. According to Salmonson another important benefit is lower maintenance, “ICF provides a building with a 50- to 60-year life that requires minimal maintenance when compared with other structures.”
The handover of the building, in June 2024, is ahead of the originally scheduled August 2024 completion date. A grand opening is planned before the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
The ICF Structure for Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire Was Completed Ahead of Schedule