Structural Insulated Panels

The concept of structural insulated panels is simple; create a load bearing wall panel that is also made of an insulating material.  Recently, I've heard a good bit about Kama panels.  They won an award for being one of the top green building products of 2009. I also noticed that Kama panels were central to the design of this green home to be built by a Popular Science staff member.  Traditionally the panels have consisted of rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two layers of OSB plywood.  However, the Kama panels are unique in that they eliminate the OSB and utilize polystyrene insulation sandwiched by metal studs.  The panels can be used as walls, floors and roofs.  The factory controlled assembly claims to save time, money and labor on-site.  The Structural Insulated Panel Association says the core insulation is 98% air and does not rely on CFC's.  I'm looking forward following the performance of these systems over time.  It certainly feels lego-like to imagine quickly tilting up styrofoam walls to create a small building.  If anyone has experience using these systems, please share more information in the comments.

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