Why Structural Composites?
Six Reasons Why Structural Composites Are Poised to Revolutionize the Building Industry
For generations, the building industry has relied on five traditional architectural formats: wood, masonry, concrete, steel and plastic. Each has expanded the way architects think about built structures, encouraging new creative possibilities and ultimately influencing how we live.
Now Building Composites LLC is championing a sixth format: structural composites.
Structural composites provide unique performance and aesthetic benefits, and have a proven track record in marine and aerospace applications. Building Composites is determined to share structural composites' full potential as a stronger, lighter and more sustainable alternative to traditional formats, all while enabling you to lower your installed costs, get even more creative, and complete projects faster.
Research and Development Background
Although structural composites are becoming more common in building construction, we didn’t begin our research to prove their value. We were simply looking for better, cheaper, safer and more sustainable ways to manufacture and install exterior panels. Composites quickly emerged as the clear leader, with extensive testing validating their many advantages compared to traditional materials like architectural precast concrete and metal.
High Strength-to-Weight Ratio
Structural composites are much lighter than traditional materials like steel and concrete, even though they provide comparable or superior strength. As a result, they’re easier and less expensive to handle, transport and install.
HyperWall panels take full advantage of these properties to enable faster and safer building closeouts. They weigh considerably less than their precast counterparts, which allows them to be lifted with smaller-capacity cranes. Even with preinstalled glazing, HyperWall panels significantly reduce high-risk labor on elevated scaffolds and bucket lifts, lowering costs and minimizing risks for the contracting company.
Less weight allows more HyperWall panels to be loaded onto each truck. Fewer shipments are needed per square foot of building exterior, lowering the total embodied carbon of the job. In addition, the panels place less dead load on the building structure, enabling lighter, lower-cost frame designs.
Design Flexibility
Structural composites can be easily molded into various shapes and sizes, allowing for greater design flexibility and freedom of expression. This adaptability makes them suitable for a wide range of architectural and structural applications, including innovative and aesthetically pleasing designs that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional materials.
HyperWall panels allow for smaller wall cross-sections compared to architectural precast concrete and metal panel facades. Larger openings become possible while expanding the rentable square footage inside the building.
The cosmetic faces of HyperWall panels are formed on mold surfaces shaped by machined tools. This manufacturing process allows for consistent replication of custom textures, faceting and other artistic features that are difficult to achieve with steel skins. High-quality fluoropolymer coatings provide final finishes in nearly any color desired, including mica- and metallic-filled coatings. Multi-depth panels offer additional options for creating more visual interest, such as varying window reveals.
Low Maintenance, Corrosion Resistance and Lifelong Durability
Structural composites are resistant to a wide range of environmental factors, including UV radiation, chemicals and high temperatures. This is a significant advantage in locations such as coastal environments, where high humidity and salt spray often degrade traditional materials. In addition, fluoropolymer coating is the best available technology to help colors resist fading.
HyperWall panels are designed and tested to meet all building code requirements. Structural elements are protected by durable, corrosion-resistant skins — similar to fiberglass boat hulls — capable of withstanding decades of exposure. The panels last longer as a result, maintaining their integrity and appearance over time with virtually no maintenance.
Thermal, Acoustic and Electrical Insulation
Structural composites offer superior thermal and acoustic insulation properties. This intrinsic energy efficiency can lead to significant savings on heating and cooling costs while improving a building’s overall comfort. Moreover, composites don’t conduct electricity, reducing the risk of electrical hazards.
HyperWall panels provide more than 10 times the insulation value of precast concrete.
Sustainability
The materials used to create structural composites require much less energy to produce, contributing to sustainable building practices without increasing your total costs. Their durability and long lifespan reduce the need for frequent replacements, lowering the overall environmental impact.
Visit the Sustainability page for more details.
High Impact Resistance
Structural composites are significantly more resistant to impact than traditional materials. They’ve been the go-to material for seismic strengthening retrofits for decades and are even used to protect vehicles and buildings from explosions. Their abilities to absorb and dissipate energy make them reliable in ensuring structural integrity, especially in regions prone to natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes.
HyperWall panels are an ideal system for areas susceptible to extreme weather events. Panels are tested to withstand hurricane- and tornado-force winds as well as impacts from blown debris.
Built for modern building construction
Structural composites provide HyperWall panels with a combination of strength, durability and flexibility that makes them an excellent choice for modern building construction. Their resistance to corrosion, impact and environmental factors, along with their light weight and low maintenance requirements, provide significant advantages over exterior panels made with traditional materials. As the construction industry continues to prioritize sustainability and innovative design, composite systems like HyperWall panels are poised to play crucial roles in the development of future structures.
Engineered for Civil Infrastructure
We engineer fiberglass composite structures specifically for civil infrastructural applications. Every solution begins with the development of a grade: a tailored combination of a knit fiberglass fabric and our vinyl ester resin system.
Once the grade is approved, a lamina is created. We then perform physical coupon testing in the 0/90 directions to establish key properties:
- Tensile strength/modulus
- Compressive strength/modulus
- Shear strength/modulus
- Thermal expansion
Strength results are then statistically reduced in accordance with ASTM D7290, producing reliable ultimate design values for each material combination (grade).
With material properties developed, we apply the rule of mixtures to predict the performance of laminates in specific structural configurations. This enables the accurate development of section properties for beams, panels or other infrastructural shapes.
All structures are analyzed using traditional mechanics of materials equations and/or finite element analysis (FEA). Because resistance factors have not yet been developed for this class of FRP, we employ an allowable stress design (ASD) approach to ensure safety and reliability.
Materials of Construction
The HyperWall panel is an FRP sandwich system designed to optimize structural performance, fire safety, cosmetics and long-term durability while maintaining cost competitiveness. It consists of five engineered material classes, each evaluated against alternatives and selected for specific mechanical, thermal and processing properties.
Vinyl ester resin functions as the matrix, chosen for its balance of toughness, chemical resistance, processability and cost. It enables efficient vacuum infusion and curing profiles while maintaining cosmetic surface quality.
The reinforcement utilizes E-glass knitted fabrics, selected for their high strength and favorable cost. The fire protection is co-processed within the laminate, supplementing the vinyl ester matrix and ensuring NFPA 285 and 268 compliance without compromising structural integrity.
The sandwich core employs PIR foam, valued for its low thermal conductivity, flame retardancy and favorable cost.
A fluoropolymer-based exterior coating provides exceptional UV stability, chemical resistance and long-term colorfastness.
The integration of these five material systems enables HyperWall panels to deliver high structural efficiency, fire safety and environmental durability at a cost-effective price point, making it a technically robust solution for modern building envelopes.
