Small ICF Pyramid with 6" reinforced columns, 16" o.c. 1

[turbotim]

Am new to this forum & usually design wood structures with the aid of spreadsheets or Enercalc. Am a Civil Structural in California & asked by one of my recurring clients to design for them a 2 story pyramid about 50 X 50 at its base, 35 feet from base to top of pyramid. No projections. Some windows. Was thinking of using an ICF block that is about 48" long, 16" X 10" with 6" reinforced concrete cylinders surrounded by recycled EPS foam. The block is tongue & groove and stacks so you line up the 6" hollow cylinders. This block uses very little concrete, gives you very high R values, and weighs about 55 psf (face) with concrete/rebar at 150 pcf. Is there an inexpensive structural engineering software available that anyone can recommend to professionalize the presentation ? Any other suggestions especially regarding shear, torsion & shoring ?

 

[msquared48]

Your sketch won't load up.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[concretemasonry]

If you use one of the most common ICF systems (available everywhere) that uses a flat panel system the analysis is much more prdictable and the system is more constructable. - Especially with openings.

There three different systems - flat panel, waffle and "post and beam".

What you really have with a flat panel system is a 6" reinforced concrete wall with 2 layers of foam forms left in place. The othere have a complex geometry that make it difficult to realistically analyze and construct/place concrete.

Dick