VITRUVIAN: Redefining How We Build

A local company, based in San Luis Obispo, has decided to tackle the way we construct. By addressing the materials we use in building, the VITRUVIAN building system has the potential to turn the system upside down. Rather than the traditional woodframe and bat insulation that is commonplace in residential construction, the VITRUVIAN system relies on expanded polystyrene within a light gauge steel frame to create a building.

These panels are both lightweight and have extremely high insulation values. Not to mention they are created using a recyclable material, despite popular belief, expanded polystyrene IS recyclable and at VITRUVIAN the are able to hold onto the minimal waste they create for future recycling. Most people will recognize expanded polystyrene as it exists in its most common form: the coffee cup. It is proving to have many more functions than just keeping your morning caffeine fix warm.

Although there is no such thing as a gathering points for LEED certification through a material checklist, it is possible to obtain points based on recycled content, local content, and waste reduction in the building process. These points become highly attainable through the VITRUVIAN process. From their website: "Through our customized software, we are able to accurately cut-list, not only the wall and roof panels that create our highly efficient envelope, but all of the other building materials that make up a structure. The result is an overall waste rate of less than 1% or 1/10 that of traditional construction methods"

I commend the people at VITRUVIAN for embracing technology as the means towards a more sustainable future. Their methods of taking a design from the computer straight to manufacturing eliminate the problems of human error on the jobsite and in communication between members of the building team. This system of computer aided construction is something that will certainly be more commonplace in the future, and is just now gaining speed in the residential building community.

From the outside, the buildings look just like any others you might see in your neighborhood, providing for no aesthetic conflicts that might be problematic for other unique building methods. The expanded polystyrene used as insulation has zero off-gassing (something that cannot be said for traditional foam bat insulation common in most homes) and can be finished as the consumer desires.

For more images check out the VITRUVIAN picasa page.

Leslie Bloom

LEED Accredited Professional

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Allyson Nakasone
Realtor® EcoBroker™
CALL (805) 234-0809 cell
allyson@mySLOhome.com

Coldwell Banker Premier
689 Tank Farm Road, Suite 230
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(800) 549-7884 tollfree

www.mySLOhome.com