New Styrofoam home construction in Central Florida can withstand Category 5 hurricanes

Companies using Styrofoam to build homes

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A new way to build safer and stronger homes is coming to Central Florida. The material is something you might not expect – Styrofoam.

The Sytrofoam building process has actually been widely used in Europe for over 40 years.

A new manufacturing facility in Kissimmee is promoting the construction as a way to build safer homes that can withstand Category 5 hurricanes.

"These are called SCIP construction walls – they’re structural concrete insulated panels," said Ryan Skelly of Vero Building Systems. The Styrofoam pieces are 3D cut to any design and are used as insulation.

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Mesh wiring is wrapped around it and then shotcrete is sprayed all over to create an impermeable concrete structure.

Annette Rubin, CEO of Vero Building Systems, said she wants to pave the way for better builds that can withstand Category 5 hurricanes.

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"It’s blast proof, it’s bulletproof, up to 250 mile per hour winds – I’ve seen it shot with a cannon at 60 miles per hour and it did not pierce the panel," Rubin said. Her promise is to donate 10% of the profits to the community and to help rebuild homes destroyed by hurricanes to be more durable and resilient.

"The market is hungry for a better way to build structures. People are really sick of seeing the devastation," Rubin said.

The goal is to not only save lives when the next storm rolls through, but to improve the quality of life. The homes are advertised as energy efficient and do not require any additional insulation. Construction can be completed in a matter of days and the cost is competitive.

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Residents along Lake Harney in Central Florida still cannot live at their homes due to storm damage from six months ago.

"We can build affordable housing at a price point that works for the builder and works for the consumer and keep that demographic of people safer that’s what we’re about," Rubin said.

The demo house is viewable at the Vero Building Systems plant in Kissimmee. It was constructed in just three days.

The company can ship their pre-fabricated Styrofoam walls anywhere in the world. Their work in Central Florida has already begun with projects in Groveland, Haines City and an apartment complex in Hollywood, Florida.