Structural Insulated Panels are Strong

A SIP functions like an I-Beam. The SIP facing acts as the steel flanges and the SIP core acts like the continual steel web.

Recent research has shown that the structural integrity of a Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) building is significantly superior to a conventional stick framed house in terms of compressive resistance, flexural strength, shear resistance, and uplift resistance. SIPs have undergone exhaustive testing by many third party agencies, and SIPs have proven themselves to be a powerful alternative to the standard fiberglass-stick frame.

If the research wasn't evidence enough, there are many SIP homes that can be found in the real world, many which are decades old without any structural damage or weakening. Furthermore, many SIP homes have survived earthquakes and hurricanes in areas where their counterparts: stick-built homes were destroyed.

For example, a SIP was struck by the path of a tornado in the town of Clermont, Georgia in March 1998. The tornado destroyed 7 homes in the vicinity, and while the SIP home lost half of its shingles, the house sustained no structural damage.

In another case, a 1993 earthquake shook the ground in Kobe, Japan, crippling a large portion of the city. However, the homes built with SIPs escaped virtually unscathed. Recently, Japan has seen a large boom in SIPs sales and manufactures, largely in part to this disaster. The ability of a SIP to withstand recent forces of nature is perhaps the true testament to their superior structural performance.

Infromation Provided by Foam Laminates of Vermont via: http://www.foamlaminates.com