One of the first things ACTech's COO Tony Francel says about their product is that it's a building system, not just a panel. And that makes sense when you look at it closely.
The key benefits of the system for the builder are speed, simplicity and competitive cost. For the building owner the benefits include durability, a warm/cool environment, a tight envelope which means better air quality, and energy savings. Not only are there savings in in energy consumption but also pest control and insurance as well as lower finance costs due to speedier construction. Less immediate but also important is the fact that better air quality and pest resistance means a healthier happier family or occupant and fewer medical bills.
The panel system is comprised of two-foot wide panels cut to length including gable end angles, channels to mount the panels into, channels to close off window and door openings, trusses for roofs and floors, and angle brackets to connect roof to wall panels. They provide all of these components as well as self tapping screw fasteners by truck to the building site. From there a three or four man crew can assemble a 2000 square foot house shell in a couple days. All that's left is to frame interior walls (though panels could be used for some), finishing the interior, external finish of your choice, mechanicals and roof shingles. Time savings on a medium sized house can amount to nearly 2 months. There are also savings through using a less skilled crew and fewer subs and suppliers overall.
Then there's the durability angle. The movies on their website show air cannons firing studs at different types of walls and basically destroying them. When fired at the ACTech panel with it's 24 gauge steel skins the 2x4 fired at over 100 mph just dents the wall and bounces off. Any damaged panels can be replaced comparatively easily. I was told of one house in Florida that has survived three hurricanes over its 14 year life.
What I found really amazing is that while you can use the system for commercial or residential construction it's very cost effective. Builders are using this system to construct affordable homes that are selling for $85 per square foot completed!
I'm excited about this system and plan to use it for my next house. Anyone have a plot of land available in Chapel Hill or Durham to get started on now?