UrbanEden’s structural system consists of precast geopolymer concrete walls and floors and a post and beam steel frame that does double duty supporting both the building and the conceptual plan. Though our concrete mix is unique and ground breaking, our structural system is conventional, with a few tweaks to reduce thermal bridging.
Five double wythe insulated precast panels make-up the north, east, and west walls of the house facing the street. The monolithic, insulated double-wythe concrete walls separate the interior from the street, while the open steel frame facilitates visual and physical connection to the private garden.
Each precast wall panel consists of 6” inches of Styrofoam insulation between two wythes of concrete. A carbon fiber mat embedded in each wythe and passing through the insulation structurally connects the three layers into a SIP, a structural insulated panel.
