New chips on the block

Jan 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Ken Roseboro

A European building technology is gaining acceptance in North America, while helping to solve the
problem of waste wood disposal. Wood-concrete wall form construction has produced strong, durable,
energy-efficient, and environmentally sound homes and buildings in Europe for over 50 years. Hans
Walter, an expert in wood-concrete construction and founder of K-X Industries, has developed Faswall
brand blocks for domestic markets. While similar in appearance to polystyrene or polyurethane
insulating concrete forms, Faswall blocks are cast from recycled, mineralized wood chips and cement
and, Walter notes, contain no foam, glue or toxic materials.

Patented process Faswall insulating forms are manufactured in a simple process at K-X Industries'
50,000-sq.-ft. facility in Little Rock, Ark. First, recycled wood chips are mixed with mineral solutions in a
proprietary treatment process. The minerals seal the chips to make them resistant to rot, decay and
mildew. Developers note that the process is similar to nature's petrification process that preserves wood
for centuries. Next, portland cement is mixed with K-X Aggregate, and a standard block machine molds
the mixture into forms. K-X Industries contracts Arkhola Inc., a Little Rock concrete block producer
equipped with a Columbia CPM machine, to cast the forms.

The finished Faswall forms cure for three weeks, then are trimmed for a precise, smooth edge. The
forms are 16 in. long, 1111/42 in. wide, and 8 in. high - about the same size as standard concrete
masonry units. K-X Industries produces Faswall forms in standard, split double, large core, and corner
styles. Foam core or mineral wool insulation can be attached to the inside of the forms to increase
thermal performance. This is optional because the forms' R-value is 18.

Faswall forms contain 85 percent wood fiber, 12 percent portland cement, and 3 percent fly ash. They
weigh less than one-half as much as concrete blocks and can be sawed, nailed, glued, and worked with
standard carpenter's tools.

To build a structure, Faswall forms are stacked dry without mortar joints and extensive bracing. Rebar is
set horizontally and vertically within the stacked forms, which are then filled with concrete. This creates
what product engineers dub an interlocking "post and beam" grid effect, making the wall exceptionally
strong. Plaster can be applied over or drywall fastened to a Faswall form. On the outside, stucco adheres
to forms, while brick, veneer, and vinyl siding can be anchored directly to them. Electrical wiring can be
run through the cores or routed out of the forms' face.

Strong and energy-efficient The Faswall system offers many advantages, according to developer Walter.
It can reduce construction time by 20 percent and cost by 5 percent, he notes. A building can be
constructed faster than with conventional block because the forms weigh less and require no mortar.

A concrete-filled Faswall form provides insulating values from R-18 to 24. A 21,000-sq.-ft. commercial
building in Iowa City, Iowa, provides a good example of the energy efficiency. The building's winter
heating bills are about $300 per month, not much more than what many homeowners might pay.

Beyond thermal efficiency, a Faswall structure can withstand hurricane winds and earthquakes. The
product resists rot, mildew, vermin, and has a fire resistance rating of over four hours. Freeze-thaw tests
show that Faswall performs better than conventional concrete because of the capillary action of the
wood fibers, K-X Industries contends. Sound absorption tests on Faswall showed a sound transmission
loss of 55. Additionally, the blocks' porous composition allows a slow interchange between outside and
inside air, creating a "breathing wall."

Austin, Texas, architect George Swanson, who has used Faswall in about 80 jobs, cites the breathable
quality as a main benefit: "Many new homes and buildings today have poor air quality because they're
sealed so tight. With Faswall, the entire wall acts as a fresh-air exchanger to create good air quality."

Recycling role One of Hans Walter's main goals behind the Faswall development was to create a building
system that preserves the environment. "The blocks are made of recycled wood, and a Faswall building
requires much less lumber, which helps conserve forests," he says. It also reduces the burden on
landfills. Walter estimates that 9.6 million tons of wood waste are created in the U.S. each year, and half
of it is burned, dumped, or buried in landfills. The waste comes from used pallets, scraps from industrial
production and construction, cut-offs from the lumber industry, and landscaping debris. According to
Walter, 1.6 million tons of waste wood could produce enough Faswall block to build nearly 300,000
1,800-sq.-ft. homes.

While new to the U.S., Faswall is based on a building technique that has been used in Europe for
hundreds of years, according to architect Swanson. The original technique used a mixture of straw and
clay. This later evolved into the wood-concrete wall form system, which developed as a necessity after
World War II. Massive rebuilding after the war required more raw materials than European countries
could afford. However, waste wood was abundant, and builders learned that mixing wood chips with
concrete created an effective building component that also conserved fuel and raw materials.The wood-
concrete method produced structures that were strong, durable, and economical. In fact, K-X Industries
reports, wood-concrete remains the preferred wall construction method in Europe.

After working there with wood-concrete for 30+ years, Walter moved to the U.S. in 1985. Two years
later, he founded Insul Holz-Beton International, Inc., aiming to introduce Faswall domestically. The
company's name translates from German to "insulating wood-concrete." Insul Holz-Beton is based in
Windsor, S.C.; K-X Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary.

To develop the Faswall system here, Walter had to find an effective way to mix wood with cement-not
an easy task. It took him six years to develop the K-X Aggregate treatment process, which he patented in
1992. "Our biggest challenge was finding the best way to neutralize the poisons in the wood, sugar and
oils, without destroying the structure of the wood fibers," Walter says. Without this treatment, wood
will rot and decay. He solved the problem with a clay from Georgia. While recycled wood chips are the
most common material used in K-X Aggregate, almost any fibrous material will work, including green
timber and agricultural byproducts.

Insul Holz-Beton first licensed the K-X process to a Midwest company in 1994. Since then, Faswall has
been used to construct over 300 homes and many comme rcial buildings nationwide. Daryl Rantis, an
architect in Fayetteville, Ark., recently designed a home using Faswall forms. "The features that impress
me the most are the system's aesthetics and versatility," he notes. "Most new building products made
from recycled products are either hard to work with, create other problems, or introduce toxins inside."

Market development K-X Industries presently ships Faswall block throughout the U.S. from the Little
Rock plant. Demand for Faswall is strong, according to Leni Walter, wife of Hans Walter and company
senior vice president. The company recently installed a Fleming concrete block machine in its K-X
Aggregate plant to increase production. By customer request, K-X Industries also started offering 8-in.-
deep interior wall block. Other products planned include load-bearing block, fiber stucco mix, panels,
and slab forms. As demand grows, Hans Walter plans to expand production and is discussing potential
arrangements with concrete block producers across the country.