Solarcrete's History
The Solarcrete wall system concept was originally invented by a successful masonry contractor (Mark Graham 1946-1998) who felt that there had to be a better way to build than to "stack up square rocks like the cave men". His goal was to build a strong and energy efficient wall system that would allow us to stop building "Energy guzzling buildings" and build them faster.
The early research and development work and experimental projects began in 1974 during the energy crisis, which arose from the 1974 OPEC oil embargo. This research and development work continued throughout the 1970's and continues to this date. The system became available in the late 1970's. Dozens of Patent Licenses were issued and hundreds of buildings were built until the oil glut hit in the mid 1980's . After this time the country was in a period of energy amnesia until just recently. A nucleus of committed Solarcrete contractors continued to build and refine the Solarcrete Wall System through the 1980's, 1990's and to this date.
Solarcrete offered alternative construction methods which were initially combined with active solar heating. This design concept was intended to reduce American dependence on foreign energy. As more Solarcrete buildings were built, it was determined that the Solarcrete Wall System combined with good energy efficient design, gave consumers a significant advantage over traditional buildings by itself. The incorporation of active solar systems became less significant in creating an energy efficient building, but still can be used along with other alternative energy sources to further enhance energy savings and to achieve zero net energy buildings.
Many advances in the Solarcrete wall system and HVAC technologies have take place since the original concept buildings were constructed. The Basic Solarcrete Wall System assembly of shotcrete, foam and steel has fundamentally remained constant. Refinements in the Solarcrete Wall System have involved improvements in the shotcrete mix, the shear ties, building design, erection and bracing techniques and many other various design and procedural details.