What are SIPs?

Build Your Room Addition with the Most Environmentally Responsible Materials

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are extremely strong, prefabricated insulated sheets with foam cores. Green Room System SIPs are made with the skin of performance rated, high quality non‑veneer wood. The skins are adhesively welded to the rigid insulation core of the expanded polystyrene.

Considered the alternative building material from that of the conventional stick building method, SIPs were first developed in the 1930s at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. By the 1940s, Frank Lloyd Wright had already begun using SIPs to construct his famed and affordable “Usonia” homes. According to the SIPs Association, this is one of the fastest growing segments of the construction industry. Suitable for many residential and commercial building applications, structural insulated panels are viewed today as the cost‑effective, energy‑efficient construction system that saves labor and time.

With their versatility, strength, cost effectiveness, and energy efficiency, SIPs open the door to virtually unlimited design possibilities. Green Room System SIPs can be used for exterior walls, roof/ceilings, and even floors. Every SIP is custom made according to exact specifications. They are made from mold/termite resistant wood facings laminated with structural grade adhesives to termite resistant expanded polystyrene rigid insulation. From custom built room additions to engineered homes and buildings, structural insulated panels provide comfortable indoor environments, superior thermal performance, durability and strength that far surpasses stick framed construction.

Green Room System SIPs consist of 4 ½” to 12 1/4” thermal foam core sandwiched between two laminated sheets of structural sheathing or oriented strand board (OSB). This solid construction offers long lasting R‑value, moisture resistance, and even blocks wind. Leaving no opportunity for mold or mildew to grow, SIPs are the ideal building material for all living spaces. No other construction can match SIP temperature, noise and dust control. And if that wasn't enough, the use of heating and air conditioning is greatly reduced inside Green Room System SIP structures, creating significant energy savings.

So if you're interested in adding more living space onto your home, the prefab SIP room addition will become the coziest room in your house. You'll love the fast installation, temperature and air control, as well as the money you save being energy efficient.

To build your room addition with the most environmentally responsible materials, contact Building Concepts!