West Eco - Structural Insulated Panels

We provide energy-efficient building solutions for commercial, residential and industrial construction projects. Explore the versatility, strength and energy efficiency of structural insulated panels (SIPs), compared with traditional construction methods.

Faster

SIPs arrive at the job site pre-cut and ready to assemble, making framing time more efficient so you can finish your project faster.

Stronger

With proven long-term resiliency and versatility to support almost any design, SIPs are the answer for builders and designers everywhere.

Greener

From factory fabrication to the completed project, SIPs are a sustainable building solution at every step.

SIPs Building Panels are Used When:

• A high performance, energy efficient, framing solution is required

• The builder needs to improve timeline to “lock up” phase

• Worksite is in a remote location. Panelized building systems reduce transportation costs and waste

• Transportation to the site is limited

Implementing SIPs

For more than 50 years, SIP roofs, walls and floors have framed homes from the ocean front in Western Canada, to hot temperatures in Southern Florida, to freezing winters from Alaska to the Yukon. Anywhere in the world, SIPs can be used to create a strong, innovative high performance structure.

Walls

The rigid foam core inside each SIP provides continuous insulation across the panels’ width and length, avoiding the thermal bridging created by wall studs. Also, because SIPs building panels come prefabricated in large sizes (up to 8’x 24′), SIPs have significantly fewer joints that require sealing. Blower door tests find that rooms built with SIPs have significantly less air leakage than stick-framed spaces. Whole-wall R-values of SIP walls versus stick framed walls are much higher when taking into account energy loss through the structural members, corners, joints, and around windows.

Roofs

One primary benefit of SIP panels in roofs is their long clear-span capability. The large, single-piece panels can typically span up to 20 feet, reducing the need for interior columns or other intermediate structural supports. Design professionals also can use SIPs in roof structures without an engineered truss system. These capabilities work well for vaulted ceilings, large open spaces, and soaring rooflines, which are common in schools, lodging facilities, multi-housing, and other institutional and commercial building designs. One application that has been growing in recent years is incorporating SIPs as part of living roofs. Because SIPs can accommodate high loads from soil, plants, and water, and have fewer gaps than other roof-framing methods, SIPs can help meet the challenges of a green roof.

Floors

Although less common than wall and roof applications, designers can also use SIPs in floor structures where they are not supporting load-bearing walls. Additional support below any load bearing wall is required. SIPs are most commonly used where an insulated floor system is required, such as when building on piers or pilings or other unheated areas.

SIPs Panels: Key Benefits

With benefits like these, it’s obvious that SIPs are the superior choice for your next building project.

Quick & Easy – Depending upon the size and design of a home, it can be enclosed with SIPs within days or even hours. This saves money on labor, insurance and financing, as well as energy on the job site.

Flexible – SIPs can arrive at the home site and the panels will be cut exactly to the home’s design at our factory, then numbered for easy installation, which results in less wasted materials and resources.

Energy Efficient – SIPs cut heating and cooling costs by as much as 60 percent over products used for conventional “stick” construction. Even where wall thickness is the same, SIPs outperform stick framing on whole-wall energy performance by 40 to 60 percent, according to a study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Soundproof – SIPs block sound like few other materials — a big perk, especially in bedrooms, dens, home offices and media rooms. This due to the solid construction and lack of air transfer,

Environmentally-Friendly – Components that comprise SIPs come from renewable resources. The insulation is a form of plastic, and oriented strand board (OSB) is made from fast-growing trees and shrubs once considered waste by the lumber industry.

Air Tightness – SIPs are one of the most airtight and well-insulated building systems available, allowing for better control over indoor environmental conditions. Reduced energy consumption for heating and cooling throughout a building’s life is SIP’s most substantial contribution to preserving the environment.