I assume you are familiar with Green Building Adviser. You will be hard pressed to find someone building a wall to that insulated standard on this forum. GBA will be your best resource for those types of walls. Congrats on considering advanced construction methods.

Thanks Izerarc. Yes, I am familiar with GBA. Your reply is a quite sad commentary on how far behind the U.S. is with construction.

But it makes me happy to see such an advanced question on this forum!

The use of exterior Styrofoam insulation board for the PERSIST wall system and the IRMA roofing system were developed in the 60's and adopted in the 70's by institutions like universities and large corporations for their buildings in northern climates like in Canada.

The IRMA roofing system is still common but I haven't run across the PERSIST system in other than as a simplified version in a brick veneer cavity wall and I've never seen it used for a house.

I guess it's logical that such an unusually expensive wall system would eventually become cost effective for warmer climates as heating costs have increases but the cost of the wall system has increased as well and I suspect few people will own a house long enough for the system to pay for itself.

What is particularly difficult about this system for homes is the detailing and construction of roof overhangs and window openings. That is where the "advanced" aspect of this system will be found.