How a casco really goes up

Four ways to build a wall. One is clearly better.

See how the shell of a building goes up — and why vertical ICF beats brick, poured concrete and even horizontal ICF. Real jobsites, real steps, nothing hidden.

Third-party tested · 3 HR fire · STC 55 · R‑23 to R‑41 · vertical since 1994

The same wall, four ways

Every method makes a wall. Only one is insulated, monolithic, fast and buildable by a small crew — all at once.

Brick / blocklaid by masons Poured concretesite formwork Horizontal ICFstacked foam blocks Vertical B3Xfull-height panels
Insulation built in None — added later None — added later Both faces Both faces · R‑23 to R‑41
Weak points / joints Mortar joint every course ~Form seams & cold joints Block joint every course Full-height — no course joints
Floats / shifts in the pour ~N/A (dry-laid) ~Forms can blow out Blocks float & drift Braced as one — nothing moves
Speed to weathertight Slow, mason-paced Slow — form & strip ~Medium, course by course Fast — full-height, days
Who builds it Skilled masons Skilled form crew ~Trained ICF crew A carpenter's crew of two
Cutting & waste ~Cut & mortar ~Form waste Lots of block cutting Cut to any length, minimal
Fire, sound & storm ~Solid but cold Strong, uninsulated Strong & insulated 3 HR · STC 55 · monolithic
Finish-ready faces Furring needed Furring needed Nailers in foam Screw-ready both faces

Brick is cold and slow. Poured concrete is strong but bare and labour-heavy. Horizontal ICF fixes the insulation — but keeps the joints, the cutting and the float. Vertical B3X keeps every advantage and drops the drawbacks.

This is the wall you're building

Not a mystery. Two foam faces, a punched web that seats the steel, and a solid reinforced concrete core — in one part. Drag to spin it, or x-ray it.

drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
Foam, both faces2.5″ EPS on each side — continuous insulation that never comes off.
Steel in an open cavityRebar seats in the punched web, visible until pour day. Your inspector sees every bar.
One monolithic core4″–12″ of concrete poured in a single pass. No course joints to crack or leak.
Open the full 3D configurator →

Real jobsites, photographed step by step. This is the whole build, start to finish.

01

The track

Everything starts with a C-channel fixed to an ordinary footing. It's the layout, the alignment and the anchor — the wall's exact line is locked before anything stands up.

An ordinary footingThe wall starts on a standard poured footing — chalk lines, not special hardware.
Fix the channel downThe C-channel is fastened straight to the footing with a nailer.
Corners on the lineTrack meets at each corner exactly on the layout line.
One continuous runSnip and fold the channel around outside corners.
Inside cornersChannel slides under the inside corner piece — captive from the start.
The track holds everythingPanels and studs seat into the channel — aligned before any bracing goes up.
02

Corners first

Corners assemble flat on the ground — full height — then stand up, get their kickers, and get plumbed once. They stay put for the whole build.

Built on sawhorsesThe corner post gets its 2×6 brace at working height.
One full-height unitOutside + inside pieces, assembled flat, ready to stand.
Stand it upThe corner rises as one braced unit, kickers already attached.
Kickers to the footingAngle kickers anchor to the footing or the channel itself.
Plumb it onceLevel in both directions — it holds for the whole build.
Standing freeA braced corner, ready for the walls to grow out of it.
03

Panels & studs

From the corners, the wall fills in — a PVC stud every 8″, a molded EPS panel sliding in between. Two people, no crane, no stacking.

It ships flatPanels and studs arrive banded on standard pallets.
Light to handlePunched-web PVC studs — carry a bundle by hand.
First panel inThe first molded panel leans into the corner stud.
The interlockMolded edges slide into the stud — no glue, no gaps.
The rhythmStud, panel, stud, panel — every 8 inches, all the way around.
By hand, full heightPanels slide in floor-to-ceiling — two people build walls fast. No stacking.
The wall growsOut from the corner, panel by panel.
04

Steel & openings

Rebar threads through the punched stud webs and stays visible — every bar can be inspected until pour day. Bucks place windows and doors wherever the plan wants them.

Through the websHorizontal steel runs through the punched stud webs — no wire chairs.
See every barLeave a face open, tie all the steel, inspect it, then panel it shut. Try that with a block.
Openings anywhereWindow and door bucks go exactly where the plan needs them.
Services firstElectrical conduit runs in the wall before the pour.
05

Brace & pour

The whole box is braced as one unit — nothing floats, nothing stacks, nothing shifts. Then one monolithic pour fills the core.

The whole box, braced as oneA full shell standing ready — braced once, poured once.
Ordinary lumberPlain 2×4s and kickers — nothing rented, nothing special.
Tall walls, no fearFull-height panels shine where stacked blocks get risky.
Long runs stay straightFewer joints means cleaner alignment over long walls.
One monolithic pour4″ to 12″ of concrete in a single pass. The foam stays as insulation.
06

The details

The fiddly parts of concrete construction are where lesser systems get abandoned. Every one of these has a proven detail.

T-intersectionsInterior concrete walls tie in without special blocks.
Joist pocketsFormed into the wall top — no retrofit hardware.
Beam pocketsSteel beams land in pockets formed before the pour.
Brick & precast ledgesMasonry support formed straight into the wall.
Concrete floors & roofsPairs with insulated deck forms for full concrete structures.
Any planPorches, bump-outs, walkouts — the system follows the drawing.
07

Finished work

Waterproof it, backfill it, build on it. The same few parts carry basements, two-story homes — even swimming pools.

WaterproofedMembrane goes straight onto the flat foam face.
Walkout shellReady for backfill and the framing crew.
Two stories, one systemBoth levels poured with the same panels, studs and track.
Even poolsA pool shell — strong, insulated, fast to form.
Touch the real wallA cutaway in section — foam, steel and concrete in one.

Understand the system

What the wall is made of, and how it goes together.

This is the real system you're designing with

Every design here builds from these exact parts, photographed on real B3X jobsites.

Molded EPS panels and studs
Molded poly panels8″ wide, interlocking, 2.5″–12″ EPS
Pallet of PVC studs
PVC studsPunched webs, nailer every 8″
C-channel track nailed to footing
2.5″ C-channel trackFooting + cap — the layout system
Pre-assembled corner
Corner setsOutside + inside, full height

See why vertical wins — for your build.

Spin your own wall in 3D, or tell us what you're building and we'll send the numbers.

Build a wall in 3D → Request a quote The simple version