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Kitchener, Ontario-based Jamesway Construction knows a thing or two about innovation. The 22-year-old company designed and patented the use of insulating concrete forms (ICF), a building method that increases energy efficiency of the finished structure by using a multi-functional wall component. This has catapulted the company out of the slumping auto market and headfirst into residential construction.

“The residential side of our business has grown substantially,” CEO Al Way says. “It has started to become our bread and butter in the design/build category. We still do car dealership fit-outs and office buildings, but now we have a base we build the company around.”

ICFs are an “all-in-one system [that serve] as the concrete form, rebar holder, insulation, vapor barrier and furring,” the company explains. “The forms remain in place after concrete placement and have interior and exterior finish materials attached to them.”

All ICFs are essentially designed the same, Jamesway says. Two shells of flat, expanded polystyrene are divided and supported by polypropylene or steel connector webs that are buried in the polystyrene shells. “The web is an integral part of the assembly,” the company says. “It determines the size of the core, provides a method to hold rebar, and is the furring strip that is used to attach interior and exterior finishes to it.”

This system uses fewer natural resources and creates more sustainable structures, the company says. It has also made building more efficient, allowing the company to complete work in about a third of the time it normally takes, Jamesway says. “People are clapping all over North America,” Way declares. “We’re definitely at the forefront of being recognized for this method and we’re looked upon as a guru.”

Faster Construction
ICF wall construction does not require highly skilled workers, the company says, and construction is not contingent on licensed trades, “therefore, work slowdowns or stoppages are less likely to happen.”

Flexible Design
ICFs can be used in any design for poured concrete or tilt-up wall. “The main design issue is that the ICF assemblies are typically thicker,” the company says.

“This is even more of an issue when ICFs are used on interior walls since, typically, interior walls are block-or-steel-framed in commercial applications.”

345 King Street
Jamesway is making history by building the world’s tallest structure that uses ICFs, Way says. The company began work on 345 King Street, a 14-story, multi-unit residential building in April and should finish in December.

Way says the $21 million project is turning heads. “This is recognized as the [soon-to-be] tallest building in the world using this method, and definitely people are talking to us and recognizing us for what we’ve developed,” he notes.

Yet the project isn’t as simple as it is famous, he admits. Ontario’s urban planning push requires companies to build closer to the street to conserve space, which poses safety hazards. “[Ontario’s] cities are making us build very close to the streets, causing issues,” he says. “We have to be more cautious to deal with materials more close to the street.”

To deal with any potential hazards, Jamesway closed the surrounding lanes of the streets and redirected pedestrians.

Employee Recruitment
Being “rocket-launched” as Way says, into the multifamily residential market has been a curse and a blessing. Although the company is in demand, it faces more pressure than usual to find qualified workers.

“Trying to find people is another issue altogether – it’s extremely hard to find skilled people,” Way says. “Finding someone with the energy it takes to be innovative and make decisions and make decisions on the fly is not easy.”

Yet although ICF has intensified Jamesway’s workload, it has also made the company more attractive to employees because it ensures consistent, year-round work, “keeping our guys employed all year,” Way says.