Has anyone had experience with Nexii? As a product that is preaching about it’s sustainability credentials I’m wondering what this actually means and if it’s actually doing good. I’d be particularly interested in the insulation it’s using and if the reductions quoted are looking at the buildings holistically or not.
I’d love it all to be true but am slightly skeptical at the moment…
I would also be curious to see their EPD, which they mention on their site that they are working on. They mention that they reduce embodied carbon by 20-33% compared to conventional construction, but it would be interesting to see what they are comparing against and at what scope (individual material, assembly, or building-level). It’s good to question such claims unless they are backed up by published EPDs / LCAs.
If there is ANY information on their website about these proprietary materials I can’t find it. I can’t specify anything without an understanding of what it is and how it works. If there is any information I’d love to see it.
Nexii is definitely an interesting case and there seems to be a lot of holes in their “story”.
As far as can be determined from their website, which is very repetitive for the claims they make, is that they have built a Starbucks and a Popeyes, and are working on a hotel. Apparently 5 others have been built in Moose Jaw, but there are no photos of them on the website.
What their actual technology is seems to be pretty vague, and there are no specifics on how their technology works, and where they get their insulation from. There seems to be lots of sizzle, but not much steak. And, now they are claiming to be a “unicorn” after only a $45M funding round - which is not anywhere near close to how VCs generally value things.
More information would be great, but I have not come across anything with any details at all.
Hi Ross, Anthony, Cattaca, and Monty,
Thanks for your interest in Nexii! We’re delighted to be a recent sponsor of CLF and work with / learn from this community. Our proprietary material Nexiite is a high-strength modified polymer concrete, which itself has ~ 30% reduced carbon emissions during production compared to Portland Cement concrete. We use Nexiite cast in beds to encapsulate an EPS core which serves as the panels’ insulation, and add structural reinforcement as needed depending on building typology and design.
We work with third-party LCA consultants to assess the embodied carbon of our product. Our initial estimates of 20% savings are based on our commercial retail unit (CRU) panels and look at the whole building including structure and foundation. When we assess Nexii envelope panels alone, embodied carbon savings range from 33% over baseline (industrial) to 63% over baseline (ornamental). The baselines we use for our studies are as-built drawings from equivalent conventionally designed buildings or building components, where available provided by the client.
As a company in scale-up phase, our fabrication plants are not yet running at 100% optimized capacity; as such the embodied carbon performance of panels can range significantly depending on the month produced. We are committed to pursuing an Environmental Product Declaration for our panels once our Squamish plant has been in full tilt operation for a minimum of 12 months, in accordance with standards, and look forward to sharing this with the CLF community when available. Feel free to reach out with any other questions!
Best,
Zosia
Zosia Brown (She/Her) PhD
Vice President, Sustainability
zbrown@nexii.com
Thanks for the reply Zosia. This is some interesting information, that might be good for people to see and understand on your website - such as the composition of the panels, with the EPS core providing the insulating value. I think mainly people want to understand what Nexii is doing, but it is hard to find the information, or get a clear picture from what is presented.
Cheers,
Monty
I haven’t personally tried Nexii, but I conducted some research on their sustainability claims. It’s intriguing to see their emphasis on sustainable construction. When evaluating sustainability, it’s vital to thoroughly assess a building’s entire lifecycle, encompassing aspects like materials and energy efficiency. With that in mind, I would recommend getting in touch with Nexii directly to obtain more specific information about their insulation and their comprehensive approach to minimizing environmental impact. If you have a passion for sustainability, you may also be interested in exploring eco-friendly car options to align with your dedication to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. It’s always a good idea to maintain a level of skepticism and thoroughly research, but the innovations in the construction industry are certainly promising.