What are concrete structural insulated panels?

Some concrete structural insulated panels are sandwich panels. These have layers (also called wythes) of:

* structural concrete (designed to bear the loads once the panel is installed) * insulation (usually foam such as polystyrene, extruded or expanded) and may also have layers of:

* non structural concrete (on the other side of the insulation from the structural concrete) * wall lining materials * waterproofing

The wythes of concrete are structurally attached to each other with jointers through the insulation wythe, that are made from strong materials with a low thermal conductivity (such as fibreglass) to reduce the thermal bridging of the insulation.

The panels are made by pouring concrete on beds at concrete precasters or on a suitable area such as a floor slab on site, and are built up in these layers.

There are several proprietary brands of jointers and various panel design options.