​Because concrete takes any shape or form, it can create an unlimited variety of curves and angles, allowing the freedom to design any style home desired. Concrete’s strength can be used to create large open spaces – offering total flexibility in designing residential floor plans.

With new forming systems and concrete mixes, concrete homes are nearly at parity with traditional construction. As builders become more familiar with the technology and learn to scale and schedule the work more efficiently, construction costs will continue to reduce.

Other benefits of concrete homes include:

Energy efficiency, with up to 40% energy cost reduction per year and the ability to use smaller, more efficient HVAC components. Coupled with geothermal, solar panels and other efficient energy components can increase those savings to nearly 80%.

• Noise reduction, often two-thirds quieter than a wood-frame home.
• Lower maintenance with more durable finishes (stucco and brick)
• Environmentally friendly, using more abundant natural and recycled materials as well as using less energy and contributing to LEED points.
• Safe from fire, wind damage, termites, wood rot and mold.

Prairie is the concrete partner for Prairie Ridge Estates, a community of 132 net zero energy concrete homes using solar panels, geothermal power, wind turbines and other technologies under construction in New Lenox, IL.

Two cast in place techniques seem to be the most promising technology for mass production:

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF). ICFs are basically forms for poured concrete walls that stay in place as a permanent part of the wall assembly. The forms, made of foam insulation or other insulating material, are either pre-formed interlocking blocks or separate panels connected with plastic or metal ties. The left-in-place forms not only provide a continuous insulation and sound barrier, but also a backing for drywall on the inside, and stucco, lap siding, or brick on the outside.

Removable concrete forms. Using temporary forms, typically made of aluminum, rigid foam insulation is placed inside the forms or between the forms and held in place with a system of non-conductive ties. Concrete is then poured on either side of or between the foam. Steel rebar is also generally used to add strength to the wall. Once the concrete has cured, the forms can be removed and re-used many times with a minimum of maintenance.

The obvious advantage is speed. All exterior and interior walls can be poured at the same time, with door and window openings cast right along with everything else. Some systems even have floor and ceiling forms. Prairie Materials has produced concrete for both systems.​