Healthier Homes
Concrete homes provide a healthier home. Concrete walls contain no organic material, so they won’t support the growth of mould, mildew and other potentially harmful micro-organisms.
Concrete is naturally fire resistant and waterproof and doesn’t require any special sealers or coatings.
Concrete is impermeable to water and air and therefore your Monocast Home will be airtight. This reduces the possibility of drafts causing inefficient and lost heating and issues such as leaky buildings.
Stronger Homes
Concrete houses are far stronger than wooden framed or steel framed houses.
Monocast houses are constructed in one pour (they are not put together as slabs on concrete erected on site, commonly known as “tilt slab” construction), so that the resultant walls are one solid piece of steel reinforced concrete, not panels joined together.
Being superior in strength, Monocast houses are far better able to withstand earthquakes. Monocast Homes are built using 35MPa concrete. Compare that with a normal driveway density that is 17MPa. CCANZ has released information on the performance of homes constructed with concrete in the Christchurch earthquake.
Concrete homes are also better to withstand flooding. Should a flood occur in a concrete house it is highly unlikely that there would be damage to the structure of the house unless the foundations are undermined. Should a flood occur Concrete does not need any restoration work and the house can be restored to its original state by replacing the internal fittings such as carpet.
Energy Efficient
Concrete has the unique property called thermal mass. Concrete, by its very nature, takes time to heat up and time to cool down. This means that a Monocast home will heat up during the day, keeping the inside of the house cooler; and then release this heat overnight, keeping the home warm. This has many advantages. The variations in temperature are kept smaller than in a similar house constructed in wood.
A well designed house that includes the ability to utilise heat from the sun will accentuate thermal properties of your home and make your home more energy efficient.
Your concrete home has qualities that buffers the interior of the home from the extremes of outdoor temperature during every 24 hour cycle. The density of concrete has a heat-absorbing property called Thermal Mass. Thermal Mass smooths out swings in temperature over time. It keeps the house from overheating or getting suddenly cold throughout the day. Thermal Mass allows the walls to absorb the heat during the day and release that heat during the night. It also keeps the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter resulting in year-round comfort.
As the external temperature increases this warmth is absorbed by the concrete. This takes time and there is a delay in the heating of the concrete. This effect is beneficial as the concrete reaches maximum temperature as the outside air is cooling into the night time. The concrete then releases heat onto the home at night. The result of having this passive heating effect with Monocast is that:
- the swings in temperature are reduced – hence a far lower requirement for heating and cooling as the internal temperature is regulated into a smaller temperature range with less peaks and troughs. This saves on heating and cooling costs; and
- the time delay in the heating and cooling of the concrete ensures that the home is heated when it requires it at night and the heating effect of the sun is minimised in the afternoon and the heat is diverted into heating the concrete.
Monocast homes utilise a layer of polystyrene to act as a thermal insulator between the two solid slabs of concrete on the external walls. Monocast Homes are thermal rated at twice that required by the building code.
Concrete is a naturally dense substance, and therefore is impermeable to air leaks. Air leaks are a major source of heat loss. Monocast homes are constructed in one solid pour of concrete and therefore it is solid, water tight and air tight. As a comparison, a conventional timber-framed wall is an assembly of components – wood, linings (such as Gib board), insulation and bracing. Where these different elements meet presents a potential air and water leak. If air leaks through the house the resultant increase in energy required to maintain the temperature climbs considerably.
Allowing the natural heating and cooling effect of Concrete will reduce the energy, and therefore expense required to heat and cool your home. This is just another reason why building in Concrete is a better and more cost effective option.
Durability
The life-span of a concrete home is significantly longer than one built in conventional materials. Concrete construction has been used extensively as a building material for thousands of years and outlasts all other building materials and technology. Typically a home constructed of Concrete will last 200 – 300 years. Concrete offers true value if investing in your future is important to you.
The Concrete walls are made of solid concrete, and therefore are highly resistant to any damage that you would normally expect in a house constructed using materials such as Gib board.
Faced with the potential fury of nature, few building materials can match this robust, durable substance.
Lower Maintenance
There are a large variety of finishes available with Monocast homes. Monocast concrete walls need only minimal maintenance. An occasional high-pressure wash-down is all that is required to keep the finish looking good. Comparatively, material such as masonry and brick which is porous, requires sealing and needs re-applying of mortar over cracked or failed areas.
Quieter
Noise control in buildings is a significant factor in creating a relaxing, enjoyable and private environment. A solid concrete home is a quiet home, on average around 60% quieter. Because concrete is an inherently dense product, it naturally limits the conductivity of sound and is a natural sound barrier, particularly in the lower frequency range. The unique qualities of a Monocast Concrete construction method significantly reduces sound transmission between rooms and noise penetration from external sources.
Advances in entertainment technology (i.e. home theatres) and increased requirements by homeowners for enhanced privacy in their day-to-day living make Concrete the ideal building material for modern homes.
The quiet comfort of concrete makes a concrete home a solid investment in lifestyle especially if your home is being built in a high density area where noise pollution from neighbours is predominant.
Environmentally Sustainable
To quote from the information released by Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative:
“The importance of sustainable development is currently dominating headlines, and as a concept is frequently defined as the practice of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The quest for sustainability has been compared with New Zealand’s nuclear free stance in the 1980s, and politicians have been enthusiastically pledging their support to make New Zealand the ‘first nation to be truly sustainable”.
There is no question that sustainable development has been adopted as the philosophy to direct New Zealand’s way forward, and as a means to find solutions that provide the best economic, social and environmental outcomes.
Produced from readily available raw materials, concrete’s strength, durability and versatility ensure it provides solutions for the built environment that help achieve sustainable development.”
Faster to build
Using Monocasts process and technology, the time for erecting a house, from a section of bare land to moving in is dramatically reduced.
This has many benefits including saving money by having less time to fund the build process and therefore less interest costs, you can move into your home earlier than is normally expected.
Endless design possibilities
From an architecturally designed modern masterpiece, to apartments, flats and commercial buildings and multi level buildings, Monocast has the flexibility to help create whatever design you have in mind. There are no limits to design possibilities.
Superior Quality
Superior Finish Concrete Walls. Aside from the fact that all the walls are concrete, they are by their very nature far more durable. Unless you tap the wall you cannot tell if the wall is concrete or plasterboard. A more superior quality finish can be achieved. The walls are more true and achieve a level 5 finish.