International News

The Real Estate Weekly website has run a story about how SIPs structures in the US have been proving their credentials in withstanding hurricanes.

Having nearly lost the roof during Hurricane Gloria, the owner of the liquor store and warehouse decided not to replace it when collapsed in a blizzard last year.  Instead, he replaced the whole building using Structural Insulated Panels.

The company that supplied the panels have provided buildings to withstand natural disasters in New Orleans, Mississippi and northern Iraq.  In Missouri, they built a SIPs office complex that can withstand gusts of up to 230 mph and can be used even during a mandatory hurricane evacuation.

During Hurricane Joplin, 20 people took shelter in a walk-in supermarket cooler made from SIPs.   The structure stayed intact despite the 200 mph winds which flattened surrounding buildings

You can read the full story here.

Self Build Action Plan

A new report has been drawn up by representatives of the self-build industry in the UK which highlights the main challenges faced by the current self-build industry.  The report concludes that the current market needs to be made more accessible, with a well managed network of advice, case studies and reliable sources of information.

You can read the full report - 'An action plan to promote the growth of self build housing (The report of the Self Build Government-industry Working Group: July 2011)' -  here (PDF).

In the News

Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine have an article on ‘How SIPs Work’ in their February Edition.  The article has now been archived online, and you can find it here:

http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/feature/sips-how-they-work

SIPs Industries has been manufacturing and installing SIPs panels in the UK now since 2000, so it’s interesting that Structural Insulated Panels are no longer being referred to as ‘new’ technology.