Discuss alternative building methods here.

AAC, pour in place concrete, precast, SCIPS,   

I am interested in feedback especially in the foam panel sandwich methods w/ shotcrete applied on either side.    Tridipanel, green sandwich technologies, solarcrete etc....as well as insulated poured in place like Tmass system.

I have recently moved into a hjome built with ICF. How do I bolt or screw objects to this material?

  Every eight inches along the inside and outside of the wall is a vertical strip of hardened plastic that is about 1 1/4" wide. It is made into just about every brand of foam although some brands use 6 inch spacing. Depending on the covering, the strips can be difficult to find. On the inside of the house the strips are covered by sheet rock and paint but they can be found with a good stud finder. Sometimes.  You can pick a convenient location and drill holes in the wall every 3/4' until you locate a harder material and then drill until you find the edges of the strip. Then try 8" left or right and you should hit another strip. The holes can be patched with joint compound and painted. The strip should be buried under the point by 1/2" for sheepfold and 1/4" for foam or 3/4" deep overall. 1 5/8" sheet rock screw will hold just about anything you will want to hang on the wall.
   If you just want to hang pictures or decorations on the wall you can use the White Plastic screw-in hangers sold in the hardware stores. They are about a 1/2" in diameter and have a very coarse thread that screws into the sheet rock. There is another metal screw in the center that you use to hold the decoration.
    It is a good idea not to place one directly over an electrical switch or outlet.
Regards,
Joe

Am I EVER GLAD that I measured and wrote down where the first 6in on center tie was in every room, from every window and door frame edge each way, before our sheetrock went up! ;-) BTW, I have found that the big molley screws sold at the Container Stores for their shleves, and at Lowes where their white wire shelving is sold, work great for such shelving and hanger purposes. If you drill a starter hole thru to the concrete, they will expand nicely *into* the foam, behind the sheetrock, for a solid hold. But, turn the screw slowly when you are first setting the anchor.

I heard that there was thermal bridging issues on the Tridipanel type panels .... Anyone done infrared data on these ?

Beware of electrical and plumbing!

We are about to start on a ICF home and this issue has been discussed and we are planning to install sheet metal over these areas to avoid future problems.

Use simpson mending plates. They have barbs to hold in place, are perforated, heavy duty and cheap.