Simon;

did that house ever get built?

I think they are still trying to build it, but it may be turning out to be a bit too ambitious for their budget.

Below is the front elevation without finishes. Two sets of elevations are supplied in the set for clarity; Finished Elevations & Panel Elevations

 &

Seven whole house cross sections like this one were needed to clearly explain this building. 

The 'joints' of a panel building are the critical points to explain, so details displaying these are large and all materials featured are drawn accurately and to relative scale.

How does the wood furring compare with the light gauge steel high hat furring? Is this mainly a cost savings? How well do the #6 wood screws hold to the SIP skin? I would think the pull out strength in 26 gauge steel would be very low.

Torben;

You are right , wood screws do not hold well in sheet steel, SMS or sharp point drywall screws hold better, in addition construction adhesive is a good idea.  We never cared to mix wood/steel, especially in termite prone areas. Steel high-hat is much easier to attach and never twists, splits or warps.

Torben;

Wood screws hold well enough in sheet metal for furring purposes. When I spec wood screws they usually end up being drywall/multipurpose screws anyway, so I'm not so concerned. The trick is to not overdrive them. I wouldn't spec them for any metal to metal structural connections.

I've designed what I call a 'hybrid' system using metal and wood. I used to be more purist and only specify all metal, but I have come to realize that wood can be more construction friendly and less labor intensive in certain areas and also more cost effective.

I think an open web wood floor truss floor system still is a good value, allows the most flexibility for running the various mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems without modifying(cutting holes) and is more accoustically quiet/solid when installed properly.

The wood furring on the inside of the exterior panel wall is cost effective and the electricians can deal with it better in my opinion.

Most of the beams in the project are wood for ease of construction/less labor to fabricate/cost.

If you think about it, changing material types is good for impeding the transmission of sound.

I think Chris K is more of a purist and all metal has it's applications and marketability, so his approach is certainly valid, but it's ultimately up to a clients wants, needs and budget.

Simon;

from a supply and install standpoint steel is no more expensive to install for the following reasons:

1. no sorting - all steel furring is straight and true, saves time/labor
2. Hi hat steel furing is easily cut with snips, no trips to the saw to cut wood furring , saves time/ labor
3. because all are straight there is no need to return to supplier warped, twisted or split wood furring (saves time,labor,materials and money)
4. No adhesive needed (saves time, labor and money)
5. All steel structures are classified as Non Combustible, resulting in reduced homeowners insurance and builders risk insurance rates.
6. Termite damage is not covered by insurance.

Steel does not promote mold or mildew growth

Steel has better accousticall properties because of less contact with panel surface area, RC-1 cahnnel is even better

if wood was really user friendly, we would be using it. But the effort to try and" make it work" is not worth it.

There's always some wood still being used in a cost conscious multistory steel-framed home, even one that claims to be 'all metal'. There still isn't a cost effective non-wood substitute for a plywood/OSB subfloor on the market yet. And I know a lot of steel framed houses still use 2x wood stringers for their stair construction. Rough interior doorways in steel framing are commonly framed with 2x wood for ease of door installation. I can design a home that doesn't use one splinter of wood, but it's going to cost more.

As a note, 1" silicon impregnated fiber-cement board is a direct substitute for wood floor sheathing, but you don't want to know how much it costs, let alone the added weight for structural supports to resist...

Simon,

Does it make economic sense to use SIPS for floors? I am wondering if the new Composite Span SIP with phenolic fiberglass skins that I saw at the AIA show in New Orleans will give us an alternative to using OSB or plywood for floors.

Alton; It only makes sense if there are no mechanicals than need to run thru and where insulation is important. My office uses 6" SIPs for the floor and we used 8" SIPs with fibercement underlay in New Orleans over a crawl space. metal sips alone will dent as a wearing surface, it is best to use an underlayment to spread loads for furniture leg, high heals, etc. It also make an approved surface to attach ceramic tile.

Alton,

The only way it makes economic sense to me to use SIPs as a floor is when the underside of the floor is exposed to the outside, like in a home with a crawlspace or a stilt home. The home I live in now is a stilt home with a breezeway & carports underneath. I used polyester painted 26ga. steel skinned SIPs as the floor system, which provided a built-in, prepainted, maintenance-free, finished ceiling for the breezeway & carports. I put 5/16" fiber-cement board underlayment over the topside of the steel SIPs to provide an 'impact' layer for walking on.

Pic of stilt home with steel SIP floor

The steel SIPs were used for the front and back porch ceiling finish too. A little utilitarian, but cost effective.:-)

The advantage/efficiency of metal SIPs are they can serve 4 functions in a building, all in one component.

1. the structure
2. the insulation
3. the vapor barrier
4. the finish

I like that design. SCIPs are similar but also cover the joints. Or call them stucco/plaster coated metal SIPs :-). Hybrids could also work - one side sheet steel and the other side steel mesh + fiber reinforced concrete/stucco.

Thanks to everyone for their comments.

You're welcome Alton.:-)