But concrete has come a long way from the sidewalk--and seeing made Killoran--executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Westchester in suburban New York City--a believer. He's not alone. According to a recent market research survey by the Portland Cement Association, 13.8% of builders used a concrete above-grade wall system in 2007, a 60% rise from the last survey in 2003.

Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) experienced the largest growth in usage. The number of builders using ICFs jumped from 2% in 2003 to 6% in 2007. The use of removable concrete forms for homebuilding doubled in the same period, from 1.2% in 2003 to 2.4% in 2007.

Concrete has the characteristics of a chameleon. Depending on the way it's cast or stamped, it can simulate limestone, granite, marble, travertine, quartz, dolomite, natural rock, brick, stucco or even wood siding.

But it's biggest advantage may be its energy efficiency. "Homebuilders in our survey report that energy efficiency was the most important issue for homeowners. It appears that more and more often this need is being met with concrete wall systems," said Jim Niehoff, PCA residential promotion director.

Homes built with insulating concrete forms, where concrete is sandwiched between two insulating layers of foam, require significantly less energy to heat and cool. Concrete wall systems also significantly reduce the risk of building in hurricane zones and are known for creating quiet, more comfortable indoor environments.

Killoran was impressed with the aesthetics as well as the strength, longevity and energy-efficiency of concrete wall panels. Concrete resists fire, wind and most of the ravages of time. "Think of the Coliseum in Rome. Think of castles. Think of structures that last forever," Killoran says.

In an aging inner city neighborhood in Yonkers, NY, Killoran's group built a duplex containing two 1,200 sf housing units. Most of the building--the basement foundation walls, the first and second floors, all of the exterior walls and even the roof--is constructed with precast, reinforced concrete panels.

Concrete panels have a different feel from wood, and aren't quite as versatile as traditional building products. The roofs on the Yonkers duplexes, for example, are nearly flat, a design element architects chose to accommodate the concrete panels.

But Killoran says the panels are highly energy efficient, allowing the interior to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In addition, the product is virtually maintenance free, environmentally friendly and virtually impervious to vermin and insect damage.

What's more, the precast panels speed construction. A crew can erect a house in as little as one day, compared to the typical span of weeks, builders say.

More than 100 years ago, Thomas Edison thought the same thing. Edison was the best known of at least three innovators who patented methods for building poured-concrete houses in the early 1900's, records show. The most charitable historians describe the concrete house venture as one of Edison's least successful inventions.

The quality of the concrete wasn't as good as he thought it would be, and the cost of construction was triple the initial estimates. With the exception of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in southwestern Pennsylvania in 1934, the use of concrete in residential construction for anything but basements virtually stopped.

In recent years, there has been a change. Since 1994, concrete home market share has increased more than 1% every year, according to the National Association of Home Builders and the Portland Cement Association. Concrete's share of the homebuilding market increased from 3.5 % of the single-family market in 1994 to 16.3% in 2004.

Much of the gain is a result of improved technology. The Yonkers property incorporated one of the newer concrete panel wall systems. The carbon fiber system--a proprietary system called C-GRID--was developed by TechFab LLC of Anderson, S.C. Several years ago, the AltusGroup™, a Baltimore, MD-based partnership formed by several of the nation's largest precast concrete manufacturers, introduced a new wall panel system that incorporates C-GRID with concrete panels.

The manufacturer claims the wall panels are as much as 60% lighter than concrete panels that use conventional steel for secondary reinforcement. It requires only 1/4" of concrete cover to be effective, compared with 3/4" to 3" of cover for steel reinforcing. Less concrete cover translates to lower weights. They are also supposed to be stronger and more durable, and provide better insulation.

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New Technology Boosts Demand for an Old Material

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