When local custom home designer Dave Wilday first heard about Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, he expected it to “revolutionize” the construction industry. That was the 1970s.

Although AAC has been used in construction in Europe since its inception in Sweden in 1912, it is just gaining a foothold locally after being detected by the area’s green movement.

AAC is a combination of cement, lime, sand, fly ash and water, to which aluminum powder is added, expanding the mixture up to five times its original volume. The mixture is poured into molds to create blocks that are held together with rebar to form walls, or can be cut into panels to create roofs (it’s often coated with plaster or a stucco compound).

The result is a “building envelope” with superior strength that resists mold and termites. Its thermal insulating quality means homes require much less heating and cooling energy – and toxic traditional insulation can be avoided altogether – while its low-environmental-impact life cycle, from raw materials processing to the disposal of AAC waste, makes it eco-friendly.

“It’s unbelievably impervious, even sound proof,” testifies Bob Snyder, a Pebble Beach resident whose home was built with AAC.

It’s also fire resistant. “When San Diego experienced a disastrous fire a few years ago,” says Wilday, “homes built with AAC were still standing. It’s phenomenal.”

Wilday’s WilDay Designs has drawn up and helped build five homes in Pebble Beach, one in Prundale, and one in Carmel using AAC. Because AAC is lightweight and easy to handle, says Wilday, it creates construction cost efficiencies, and reduces transportation and accompanying carbon emissions.

The practical benefits and the environmental gains make it easy for Wilday to pitch AAC to clients. “Go with something environmentally friendly,” he says.

For more on Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Homes by WilDay Designs, located at 400 Foam St., Monterey, call 333-1966 or visit http://wildaydesign.com/