Wall construction with laminated insulation panels and spacer boards forming insulative air-filled voids

Abstract

An exterior wall features interior and exterior insulation layers that comprise facer-laminated foam insulation panels having battens recessed into foam cores thereof at interior and exterior faces of the interior and exterior layers, respectively. An intermediate layer installed between the interior and exterior insulation layers provide additional insulative effect. At the interior side of the interior panels, an interior set of spacer boards are installed for offset mounting of interior finishings (e.g. drywall) thereto, thereby creating an interior-adjacent array of air-filled void spaces between the interior insulation panels and the interior finishings. Exterior cladding placed directly over the exterior insulation panels is fastened to the battens thereof. On-site construction with a framing nailer is fast and convenient, creating a thermally efficient wall without need for batting insulation, poly sheeting vapour barrier, building wrap or exterior sheathing.

1 . A wall assembly comprising:
 interior and exterior insulation layers that respectively comprise interior insulation panels and exterior insulation panels, of which both said interior insulation panels and said exterior insulations each have a foam core, two opposing faces, and plurality of perimeter edges, of which the two opposing faces of each interior insulation panel comprise an interior face that faces away from the exterior insulation layer and an outer face that faces toward the exterior insulation layer, while the two opposing faces of each exterior insulation panel comprise an exterior face that faces away from the interior insulation layer and an inner face that faces toward the interior insulation layer;   laminated onto the foam core of each of the interior insulation panels and the exterior insulation panels, at least one laminated facer respectively occupying at least one of the two opposing faces thereof;   a set of interior battens recessed into the foam cores of the interior insulation panels at the interior faces thereof;   a set of exterior battens recessed into the foam cores of the exterior insulation panels at the exterior faces thereof;   an intermediate layer sandwiched between said interior and exterior layers and configured to impart additional insulative effect;   a set of interior fasteners by which the interior insulation panels are fastened to the intermediate layer through the interior battens thereof; and   a set of exterior fasteners by which the interior insulation panels are fastened to the intermediate layer through the interior battens thereof; and   
     
     
         2 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein, on each of the interior insulation panels, said at least one laminated facer comprises an outer facer occupying the outer face of the interior insulation panel. 
     
     
         3 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein, on each of the exterior insulation panels, said at least one laminated facer comprises an inner facer occupying the inner face of the exterior insulation panel. 
     
     
         4 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein, on each of the interior insulation panels, said at least one laminated facer comprises two laminated facers, including an interior facer occupying the interior face of the interior insulation panel. 
     
     
         5 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein, on each of the exterior insulation panels, said at least one laminated facer comprises two laminated facers, including an exterior facer occupying the exterior face of the interior insulation panel. 
     
     
         6 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate layer comprises spacer boards, and a thickness of each spacer board, in a direction in which said spacer boards separate the interior and exterior insulation panels from one another, is lesser than both a width and length of the spacer board. 
     
     
         7 . The wall assembly of  claim 6  wherein said thickness of each spacer board is no greater than 1-inch. 
     
     
         8 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate layer comprises wooden spacer boards. 
     
     
         9 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate layer comprises spacer boards, and the spacer boards and at least one of either the interior battens and the exterior battens are of a same composition as one another. 
     
     
         10 . The wall assembly of  claim 9  wherein the spacer boards, the interior battens and the exterior battens are all of said same composition as one another. 
     
     
         11 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate layer comprises spacer boards and at least one of either the interior battens and the exterior battens are equal to another in at least one of either width and thickness. 
     
     
         12 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the interior battens of each interior insulation panel comprise embedded interior battens overlain by one of the at least one laminated facer of said interior insulation panel. 
     
     
         13 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the exterior battens of each exterior insulation panel comprise embedded exterior battens overlain by one of the at least one laminated facers of said exterior insulation panel. 
     
     
         14 . The wall assembly of  claim 1  further comprising a set of interior spacer boards installed on the interior face of the interior insulation panels to accept indirect mounting of interior finishings onto the interior insulation panels in offset relation therefrom, while leaving air-filled void spaces bound by said additional spacer boards between the interior insulation panels and said interior finishings. 
     
     
         15 . The wall assembly of  claim 14  further comprising one or more utilities installed within the wall assembly, and comprising utility componentry occupying one or more of the additional air-filled void spaces. 
     
     
         16 . The wall assembly of  claim 15  wherein said utility componentry comprises one or more electrical boxes installed among said one or more of the additional air-filled void spaces, and electrical wiring routed to said one or more electrical bosses through at least one of said one or more of the additional air-filled void spaces. 
     
     
         17 . A method of assembling the wall assembly of  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 laying a first one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels down atop a support in a batten-down orientation;   laying components of the intermediate layer atop said first one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels, and fastening said components of the intermediate layer to the battens of said first one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels thereof through the foam cores thereof;   laying a second one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels atop the fastened components of the intermediate layer in a batten-up orientation, and fastening said second one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels to the fastened components of the intermediate layer through the foam cores of said second one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels, whereupon the interior insulation panels, the intermediate layer and the exterior insulation panels are now fastened together into an assembled unit.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said first one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels is said interior insulation panels, and said second one of either the interior insulation panels or the exterior insulation panels is said exterior insulation panels. 
     
     
         19 . A method of assembling the wall assembly of  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 laying the interior insulation panels down atop a support surface with the interior faces thereof facing downward;   laying components of the intermediate layer atop the laid down interior insulation panels at the outer faces thereof, and fastening said components of the intermediate layer to the interior battens of the interior insulation panels through the foam cores thereof; and   laying the exterior insulation panels down atop the fastened components of the intermediate layer, and fastening the exterior battens to the fastened components of the intermediate layer through the foam cores of the exterior insulation panels, whereupon the interior insulation panels, the intermediate layer and the exterior insulation panels now fastened together into an assembled unit.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising erecting said assembled unit into an upright position in which the interior faces of the interior insulation panels and the exterior faces of the exterior insulation panels face in opposing horizontal directions.