FEASIBILITY OF USING INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS IN HOT AND HUMID CLIMATE

Insulated concrete forms are used widely in cold climates to control heat loss from inside to outside from the living areas of the building. Even though, oil is the major source of power generation in Middle East Countries, there is huge potential to use electrical energy more efficiently in buildings by applying thermal insulation. In this paper, an attempt has been made to compare the hygric behavior of a building with ICF construction and a building with normal concrete construction in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Hygrothermal performances of the walls were studied on these buildings during the peak summer months of July, Au gust and September 2013. The result indicates that the performances of insulated concrete forms a re comparatively better than the normal concrete block walls.