GigaCrete refers to a family of green building products based on proprietary non-silica, non-toxic, non-combustible, cementitious, mineral-based binders commixed with filler material. GigaCrete building materials do not contain silica-based sands or Portland cement. Portland cement is the binder used in conventional concrete. GigaCrete products are manufactured by a privately held company, GigaCrete, Inc., whose factory headquarters are located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
History
GigaCrete was invented in the early 21st century by British-born architect and industrial designer Andrew C. Dennis [3][13][16] whose impetus was to create cementitious green building materials that are strong and lightweight.[3][16] Mr. Dennis is founder and chairman of GigaCrete, Inc.[13][16]
Green Building Products
PlasterMax
GigaCrete PlasterMax, a LEED qualified interior wall coating,[1] is listed as a green building material [17] and interior finish [18] by Architectural Record.
PlasterMax on ICF
GigaCrete PlasterMax is a fire-resistance rated interior wall coating for insulating concrete forms (ICF),[1] thereby providing a fire-rated green alternative to gypsum drywall over ICF.[20][21] When applied over an expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam facade of stacked ICF blocks, PlasterMax bonds to the foam and forms a surface that resists abrasion and abuse. PlasterMax may also be applied over drywall.[8][20]
StuccoMax
GigaCrete StuccoMax is an exterior water-resistant green stucco product,[7][24][25] an inorganic mixture of mineral binders and limestone sand.[26][7] Like PlasterMax, StuccoMax bonds with expanded polystyrene (EPS) [25] and forms a surface resistant to abrasion and abuse.[3][24][27]
BallistiCrete
GigaCrete BallistiCrete is a green protective interior plaster [3] passed as NIJ Level III [28] and NIJ Level IV Armor Piercing [28] in tests[29][30] conducted by Intertek's H.P. White Laboratory, Inc., an accredited ballistics and ballistics resistance laboratory.[29][30][31] NBC affiliates KSNV-TV and KFOR-TV broadcast a live-gunfire demonstration of BallistiCrete in April 2013.[32][33]
Controversy in Rio de Janeiro
In April 2017, Marcelo Crivella, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, announced a plan to fortify 400 schools with BallistiCrete.[34] The schools are located in areas of the city allegedly dominated by drug traffickers.[34][35][36]
Critics of Crivella's plan argued that school buildings, made resistant to incoming gunfire by the application of BallistiCrete, could be seized by bandits and used as armoured fortresses in wars between gangs or clashes with police.[36][37]
GigaHouse
GigaHouse refers to GigaCrete's steel-framed, insulated-panel building system [3][38][39][40][41][42][43] designed to be finished using GigaCrete exterior and interior plasters.[3][38][39][42][43] External claddings may be added to a GigaHouse for a more traditional appearance.[38][43]
On 15 October 2020, Bloomberg News reported: "A Nevada company called GigaCrete manufactures panels made with expanded polystyrene insulation foam that slot into steel frames to form walls. Once assembled at a building site, the exterior and interior surfaces are coated with a proprietary non-combustible material that resists temperatures up to 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. GigaCrete structures have also been rated to withstand wind speeds of 245 miles per hour."[44]
Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance (NOA)
On 30 May 2019, the Miami-Dade County Product Control Section issued a Notice of Acceptance in respect to the GigaCrete Exterior Wall Panel System, thereby designating said system as complying with the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) of the Florida Building Code.[45][46][43]
FAA
In February 2015, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a solicitation for "Design & Construction of 5 Duplexes at Kaibab National Forest, Tusayan Ranger Station, Tusayan, Arizona." [3][47] In section 02.Scope of Work, the solicitation [47] states, "The housing design/construction shall be GigaHouse by GigaCrete or equal.",[47] and further states, "Each stem wall must use the GigaCrete mortar-less joint CMU system; or equal." [47]
On August 4, 2015, pursuant to said solicitation,[47] the FAA awarded the contract [47][48] not to GigaCrete, Inc.,[13] but to Koo Design-Build, Inc.[48][49] of Scottsdale, Arizona in the amount of $1,085,100.00.[48]
East Bay Revitalization
East Bay Revitalization, Inc. (EBR) [50][51] is a California "nonprofit organization that builds affordable housing and co-work spaces for artists, makers and entrepreneurs." [50][51]
EBR sponsored the construction of a 300-square-foot (28 m2) energy-efficient Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) a.k.a.Tiny house in Richmond, California.[52] The unit was completed in September 2016 and built using GigaCrete's GigaHouse system and materials technology.[52][53] KTVU-TV covered the open house event.[50][54] In February 2017, sponsor EBR announced commencement of construction of a 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) GigaHouse adjacent to the Richmond ADU.[53]
Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County (Sonoma Wildfire Cottage Initiative)
Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County,[55] California, is one of 1,400 affiliates [56][57] of Habitat for Humanity International.[58][59][60]
On June 6, 2018, Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County announced a Sonoma Wildfire Cottage Initiative, a pilot project of temporary cottages showcasing a variety of innovative construction technologies for the purpose of evaluation.[61][62][63] Three firms were selected to participate in the test,[61][62][64] viz., Connect Homes,[65] West Coast SIPs,[66] and GigaCrete/Presidio Realty Advisors.[67]
As reported on June 13, 2018, in Builder magazine,[62] the then interim CEO[68] of Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County, Mr. John Kennedy, chairman of the board, stated, “The devastating October (2017) wildfires destroyed over 5,200 homes in Sonoma County, which made our housing crisis dramatically worse. This pilot project helps us quickly evaluate a variety of technologies while simultaneously helping families in dire need of stable temporary housing." [61][62]
Construction for the pilot program commenced October 12, 2018, on the Medtronic Fountaingrove campus in Santa Rosa, California.[63][64]
On August 16, 2019, the North Bay Business Journal reported, "The first five 'wildfire cottages' built for survivors of the October 2017 blazes that destroyed thousands of Santa Rosa homes were dedicated Friday on land donated by Medtronic during a ceremony honoring the many partners involved."[69]
Awards
Popular Mechanics
In 2007, Popular Mechanics magazine awarded a Best in Green Design [6] to panels made with GigaCrete hydraulic cement and waste materials.[6]
U.S. Department of Energy Builders Challenge
In 2009, Next Gen 09 LLC, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy Builders Challenge program, built a high-performance 5,200-square-foot (480 m2) ICF[1] demonstration home outside Las Vegas, Nevada.[1][70][71] A score of 70 or less on the EnergySmart Home Scale qualifies for the Builders Challenge.[72][73] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, citing GigaCrete PlasterMax as the interior wall finish of the NextGen home, wrote: "It's [PlasterMax is] a mineral-based hydraulic cement made with recycled waste materials such as fly ash. Sprayed over ordinary drywall and then troweled smooth, it's lighter than conventional concrete and also won't shrink or crack; it's also bullet and blast resistant." [8]
ICF Builder Magazine
The 2016 ICF Builder Award Winner for Best in Class Small Residential [74] is an ICF home erected in Corte Madera, California.[74][75] GigaCrete interior and exterior plasters were applied directly over ICF wall surfaces.
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