The Omnicrete Shell Described - An Engineered Tri-Wall System:

Omnicrete's patented triple concrete wall system consists of an "inner" poured core sandwiched by two exterior walls made of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC). Between the outside AAC wall and the inner concrete core, lies the vapor barrier, consisting of a sheet of 1/2" Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), followed by a sheet of 6 mil polyethylene plastic both of which are placed against the outside AAC stay-in-place forming wall. This system provides a leak proof, air-tight seal around the entire wall envelope including windows and doors.

Truly all concrete. Omni (all) Crete (Concrete)

The Concrete - (three types of concrete)

Standard Poured Concrete - used to pour the inner core wall and reinforced by steel reinforcement rods both horizontal and vertical. This concrete type has been used for hundreds of years around the world. It is made of limestone, sand and portland cement.

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) - This is used to construct the outer walls that sandwich the inner core. AAC is a pre-cast lightweight cellular concrete material that provides lightly structural, insulation and fire resistance in a single material. AAC products include blocks, wall panels, floor and roof panels and lintels. AAC has been manufactured in the US since the early 1950's and is commonly used in a commercial panel application for large commercial and industrial buildings and as fire walls between multi-family residential units. Although AAC is a superior building product, by itself, it does not possess the structural strength as it does when used in the Omnicrete Process. In short,AAC + Concrete = OMNICRETE.

AAC is an amazing discovery that came from Germany in the early part of the twentieth century. AAC was developed and patented by Swedish architect Johan Axel Eriksson in 1924. Mr Eriksson was looking for a building material with the positive properties of wood and it's inherently good thermal insulation, solid structure and ease of use but without the disadvantages of wood's combustibility and ultimate decay. Eventually he succeeded in producing a highly cellular, lightweight material made from quartzite (finely crushed sand), lime and water, that's AAC.

These materials found in nearly unlimited quantities all over the world, are processed to obtain a building material with a large number of air pores (aerated concrete). It is precisely these pores plus the solid structure of calcium silicate hydrates, which gives AAC it's exceptional product properties, excellent thermal insulation against high and low temperatures, universal applications and efficient construction properties that save labor time and energy.

Environmentally friendly and energy conserving, AAC meets all the requirements of our modern age. Absolutely no pollutants or hazardous wastes are generated in the process and there is no wastage of precious raw materials. The low temperature steam curing process also saves energy and the thermal energy is recovered during the process for maximum efficiency. Production trimmings are recycled back into the next batch creating an ideal environmentally safe production process.

Today, scores of companies manufacture AAC type materials worldwide, while enjoying the seemingly endless supply and abundant availability. Typical AAC wall thickness of an unattached dwelling unit is four (4") inches for each wall.

Composite Concrete Board - Composite concrete board products are sold under the names of Durra Rock, Hardi Plank and Hardi fiber cement backer board on interior construction and exterior siding, fascia and soffit board on exterior construction. OMNICRETE maintains compliance with its mission of fire retardant, low maintenance as well as its Eco Friendly material guidelines throughout its building process.

The Vapor Barrier

The vapor barrier is one of the key aspects of the Omnicrete system as it provides an airtight seal around the entire house preventing mold, moisture and other contaminants from passing thru the walls and other leaky areas found in conventional homes. Another key aspect of the vapor barrier is the window sealing process in which the vapor barrier completely seals the windows and doors maintaining the airtight seal around the entire envelope.

The vapor barrier is made up of two components, Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) and 6 mil polyethylene plastic. The XPS is placed against the outside core wall and the 6 mil polythelia sheeting over the outer face of the XPS.

Interior and Exterior Finish

The interior AAC wall can be finished with a coat of plaster or painted. Floors can be a finished polish concrete, tile or other options. As an option we offer AAC material for interior wall partitions (instead of wood and drywall) which totally eliminates wood and drywall on the inside wall partitions. No drywall is ever used on the inside of exterior walls and if the interior wall option is exercised, no drywall is used on any wall inside the home, just plaster