Help & Advice

In most construction systems, designing curved walls considered expensive both in terms of extra materials and extra labour..  Happily it is very simple to create curved wall structures in Polarwall. The curved ICF wall is a very similar cost to a straight wall. 

With Polarwall it doesn’t even have to be a radius curve. We have had  designs based upon a freehand peanut shape. So if you have an absolute need for a kidney shaped pool or house then do give us a call.

How We Help Build Your Curved Wall

At Polarwall, we have a CNC Hotwire machine which cuts with great accuracy.  We also have a programme that calculates the sizes of the boards to create a specific curve.  Once we receive a curved wall design, then we calculate the board sizes required to make that curve perfectly. We then cut the boards very accurately, and supply these boards cut to size for a huge labour cost saving. 

The builders on site, have no problems assembling the curve and it assemble exactly as the design has specified.

In a curves Polarwall structure the builder assmeble the boards and rails vertically instead of horizontally. The curve is actually a series of facets.  In a tight curve the board have to be smaller. This means more materials, which can cause extra expense. Large radius curves use the same amount of materials.

Build & Brace a Curved ICF Wall

Think of the curve like an arch. The force of the concrete pressure pushes the faceted boards tight together. It is almost impossible to burst on the inside as these boards are in compression. The outer boards are different and the concrete is trying to push them apart. To counteract this the curved wall needs some strapping around this outer face. Several strips of flexible ply will hold it tight together. An alternative is to uses ratchet straps if the curve is a full circle.

In our years in business, we have seen many curved structures. These have included a Hot Tub (don’t ask for this). and a wall curved freehand by the architect. We have seen tight curves and sweeping curved walls. Our most challenging curve was a wall curved in section rather than plan. We called this one the pregnant wall!

For reinforcement of a curved wall, see our section on reinforcement in ICF walls