A Case Study on the Construction Defects of Reinforced Concrete Walls with Insulated Concrete Forms

The subject of this paper is a case study that involved construction defects of reinforced concrete walls placed using insulated concrete forms (ICFs). The building is a 58,000 square foot two story facility. Shortly after construction of the perimeter walls, it was discovered that the reinforcing bars had not been placed per the design drawings and that there was extensive honeycombing of the concrete. This led to the stripping of all the insulation on both sides of the wall, repairs to the concrete, and the widespread installation of carbon fiber reinforced polymer strips. This resulted in substantial additional cost to the project, and delayed the completion of the project. We were retained on behalf of the surety for the design-builder to investigate these deficiencies, to determine if these deficiencies warranted widespread repairs, and to evaluate if the type of repair specified was appropriate. The matter went to mediation, arbitration, and it eventually settled. This paper presents these defects, the effects of the defects, as well as the studies conducted to identify the defects and the actions taken to repair the defects. It also discusses the adequacy of the design drawings, of the shop drawings, and of the quality control. This paper also provides recommendations to the engineers and contractors to minimize the occurrence of concrete and reinforcement construction defects.