Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)- a building material that consists of
panels made from a thick layer of foam (polystyrene or polyurethane)
sandwiched between two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB).
Structural panels offer very effective insulating qualities, rapid installation,
and consistent quality (minimizing waste). The use of OSB or waferboard
for facings is considered a positive use of wood resources. In addition,
less wood is wasted at the construction site than stick built homes making
structural insulated panels favorable materials to "green building"
organizations.
What are Structural Insulated Panels?
Manufacturers of Structural Insulated Panels
There are SIPs manufactures located all over the U.S. Some
manufacturers of Panels have lists of builders that utilize their
products. The links below make up a directory of
manufacturers of Structural Insulated Panels divided into
regions.
The Artzer Z Panel System
Forza Environmental Building Products is a company that lists their
goal as To provide environmentally-sound, energy efficient
materials for safe, sustainable shelter. They are the exclusive
manufacturer and distributor of the Artzer Z-Panel system. I ran
across their website while reading a news article announcing that
they had recently sold $2 million worth of panels to a company to be
used in the building of 500 homes in California. If you are
interested in the technical information on insulated panels this is a
great place to look. There is also a good SIPS home construction
video on the site. The web address is www.forzaenvironmental.com