am-cor inc. aims to change the world one building at a time. We believe that through a combination of global thinking, environmental awareness, and construction innovation, people can inexpensively build green, sustainable, and beautiful buildings that will withstand natural disasters, rising energy prices, and the test of time.
Interested in suggesting am-cor Kits to your clients? Contact us about customized builder classes, tutorials, and contractor discounts.
You should build with the am-cor System because:
Inexpensive | am-cor construction is less expensive than: standard reinforced concrete block & masonry, precast, metal buildings, stick-built, SIPS, etc. |
Fast To Build | am-cor Kits are: prefabricated & pre-engineered, arrive ready for immediate assembly, and are assembled in a fraction of standard construction time |
High Quality | am-cor buildings are better construction for a lower price: disaster resistant (hurricane, fire, tornado, earthquake, flood); mold, mildew, insect & vermin resistant (termites, rats, etc.); and environmentally friendly |
Green & Sustainable | am-cor shells are made of 100% recyclable material, and have an approx. 60-80% lower carbon footprint than standard construction; am-cor buildings are inherently sustainable, and require virtually zero maintenance |
Normally, building constructing can be quite challenging, even for professionals! Things are even more difficult if you want to build your own home. We aim to make the entire construction process much simpler:
- The am-cor System reduces the number of steps & complexity
- Each am-cor Kit comes with a detailed Field Manual, describing & aiding construction from start to finish
- Much less labor/material/waste is involved in am-cor construction
- A contractor / builder can spend much less time on site, and only needs experienced tradesmen for code requirements (e.g.: electrician, plumber)
- A home-owner can DIY much construction, except for trades required by code (e.g.: electrician, plumber)
We manufacture am-cor System panelized ferrocement construction Kits, called am-cor Kits. These Kits are shipped to your building site, where they are assembled to create a steel frame which is then coated with amcorite ferrocement mixture to create a unibody building shell.
You can order one of standard plan Kits, or design your own. Most of our clients hire a builder/contractor to assemble their Kits, but you can also do it yourself (DIY).
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Check out our Architects & Engineers section, our Designs section, and contact am-cor inc. for a downloadable pdf of the am-cor Specification and the am-cor Design Manual.
If you already have a site or building plan, or have a general idea of what you want, check out our section on Designs and Pricing.
Your am-cor Kit is engineered in accordance with your plans. We can consult with you, your architect/engineer, and your contractor for the most efficient structure and greatest energy savings. All am-cor Kits are fully code-compliant, and we'll ensure our plans are acceptable to your local code authority: your Kit includes an am-cor Structural Set , which is compiled with your architectural drawings for permit submission.
We help ensure fast, easy structural approval.
Regarding the FerroFacility Kit and investment program, please contact us. There are a number of FerroFacility setups available, depending on on your needs. Be prepared to provide am-cor inc. with some data regarding your Kit manufacturing project:
- Estimated annual quantity of am-cor Kits to be sold
- Estimated annual Kit floor area production (M2 or sq.ft. of combined total building area)
- Anticipated building type of the majority of the Kits you intend to produce
- Your group's capabilities in the region
- Access to industrial raw land for FerroFacility construction, or industrial space for lease
Costs can vary depending on regional variations in labor, materials, tariffs, taxes, security, etc.
As a general benchmark, basic low cost am-cor house Kits in emerging economies can be locally manufactured, assembled, and finished for approximately very low rates. Please contact us for the latest FerroFacility program rates.
In each FerroFacility Kit, we provide a complete, end-to-end setup program, including:
- Everything included in a standard am-cor Kit
- Quick construction of a FerroFacility using local labor & materials
- Simplified mass production of am-cor Ferrocement Kits
- Zero energy factory building (off-grid)
- Zero energy manufacturing equipment
- CNC link to Kit design stations, raw material inventory, production progress
- Kit manufacturing crew training
- Kit design training
- Kit field assembly crew training
am-cor inc. manages production in your FerroFacility, ensuring optimum efficiency, advanced quality control, and free assembly line software, hardware, and panel technology upgrades.
We provide full support to help our clients qualify for standard mortgages as well as prefab/modular loans.
While we don't provide direct financing, our clients have had no trouble financing their projects through standard mortgages.
We also have experience finding funding if you are planning a larger development or an overseas project, especially for low-cost housing in the developing world.
Contact us for more information!
The overall cost of construction: including site preparation, site cleanup, cartage of waste, time, project overheads, and material allotment, is much lower using the am-cor System than any other method.
The reason for this lies in the innovative geometry of the patented am-cor panel design and building shell design:
- Ferrocement structural material does not fill the panel, but creates a continuous stress skin, leaving the inside hollow
- Lightweight panel design and utilization of local sand, cement & water lowers transportation, and keeps material costs low
- Easy to snap-together panels save assembly time and cost, utilizing untrained labor to quickly assemble Kits
- The thin seamless Ferrocement coating joins all panels together to create a single structural unit, the shape of the entire building shell
- Each room in the building becomes a structural cell in an emerging market nation
- The structure is embedded in the building foundation in a way to resist flooding, hurricane, tornado and earthquake
The am-cor product line of efficient and beautiful schools, homes, community structures, hospitals, marine and other building types provides durable life safety structures at the most competitive cost.
Contact us for more information.
- uses less raw material
- fast to assemble & complete
- can be assembled by unskilled labor
- easy to transport to remote sites (Kits can kit in one or more pickup trucks)
- minimal site disturbance
- low Carbon footprint
- most durable, VOC free, disaster resistant, and energy efficient construction type in the low cost permanent product range.
Last updated 2011-02.
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Regarding the FerroFacility Kit and…
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Yes: when produced in a…
Ferrocement is a construction method, characterized by highly reinforced, composite cement & steel, thin concrete shells. It is not new technology; in fact, Ferrocement & standard reinforced concrete construction were invented & patented in the same country and time period: 19th century France. While reinforced concrete was quickly adapted to building construction, Ferrocement was initially used in boat hull construction.
Check out the Overview of the am-cor System and our section on Ferrocement.
The am-cor System's patents & technology allow Ferrocement to be used for mass production of lightweight, durable & sustainable panelized building Kits. Bringing Ferrocement construction methods into the mainstream solves many problems facing today's construction industry, and the world.
Check out the Overview of the am-cor System and our section on Ferrocement.
amcorite's properties:
- Can be mixed with standard, affordable, readily-available ingredients: Portland cement, water, and sand.
- Creates a thin, extremely strong, Ferrocement structural stucco-like stress-skin.
- Increases workability & ease of application over traditional mixes.
- Sets quickly; increases strength over time.
In fact, amcorite is the "secret sauce" in the am-cor System: many have tried to replicate the am-cor System's signature disaster-resistant, thin, high strength Ferrocement structural stress-skins, but have failed. Their buildings crack, spall, or are expensively overstructured; in fact, one competitor's building even collapsed!
Learn more about amcorite and the am-cor System's capabilities in our System section.
- Far less material used than standard construction:
- 1/8 cement
- 20% less steel
- Complete in 2/3 time of standard construction
- Sustainability: approximately 40% smaller carbon footprint
- High durability
- Disaster resistance integrated into building structure
- Extremely low maintenance over the building's lifetime
am‑cor ExoStructures can be used to:
- Quickly fix any existing structure: metal, concrete, masonry, wood, etc.
- Inexpensively add structural integrity (far cheaper than replacement)
- Add weatherproofing, moisture & air barriers, superinsulation, and earth-tempering.
Yes. The Ferrocement am-cor Unified Steel & Cement Construction system is resistant to:
- hurricanes
- earthquakes
- tornados
- flood
- fire
The am-cor System is extremely strong, due to the true composite nature of Ferrocement. The steel & cement are structurally unified into a single, seamless stress-skin building shell, which does not rely on fasteners or joints (e.g.: screws, nails, bolts, etc.), as in standard construction, and is directly integrated into the building's foundation. The building's Ferrocement skin is the structure. As such, forces inflicted on the building's structural skin during a natural disaster are distributed throughout the stress-skin, even to the foundation.
See our Disaster section for more information and real world examples.
am‑cor Ferrocement structures differ from other "prefab houses". Our buildings are:
- Extremely strong and durable, not cheap or flimsy
- Made of high quality, long-lasting materials (steel & cement)
- Truly safe and disaster-resistant
- Factory-made to exact dimensions & specifications
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The am‑cor System™ is a modern, Ferrocement construction system, featuring:
- true composite, integrated steel & cement structures
- unibody, seamless, exterior stress-skins
- high flexibility & adaptability
- high strength-to-weight ratio
The am-cor System is a simple, fast, affordable way to build green & sustainable buildings. Architect Angus W. Macdonald invented & patented the am‑cor Unified Steel & Cement Structural System after searching for after searching for a better alternative to standard construction methods. He wanted something that was simple to construct, quick to erect, cheap to build, and above all, beautiful, durable and sustainable.
The am‑cor System is tried and proven: am-cor structures have weathered tornadoes in USA’s Tornado Alley, hurricanes in Florida & the Caribbean, and floods on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Our building shells are internationally code compliant, and has been approved by the US Army Corps of Engineers for construction in storm surge areas.