ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES

Precast Helps Aesthetic Visions to Become Realities

Precast concrete is the perfect medium for architecture. Precast concrete is a high performance material that integrates easily with other systems and inherently provides the versatility, efficiency, and resiliency needed to meet the multi-hazard requirements and long-term demands of high performance structures.

Precast is Versatile Precast provides an incredible array of aesthetics options, whether your project needs to blend-in with the surrounding environment, or stand-out from the crowd. Precast comes in essentially any color, form and texture and can emulate, embed or veneer traditional materials as well. Precast concrete wall panels can also combine several finishes into one panel without flashing or additional detailing, which saves time and money.

Learn more about color and finishes View PCI Color and Texture Selection Guide Precast is Efficient Precast concrete can combine continuous insulation, a continuous airbarrier and vapor retarder efficiently all into one panel. It can also combine several finishes into one panel. This reduces construction complexity, detailing, and the risk of improper installation of these important envelope components. Also, since precast concrete arrives at the site ready for installation and does not require protection from rain, sun, snow, wind, or extreme temperatures, it save time and money and reduces the potential for change orders due to winter conditions. Precast concrete is one of the fastest building systems available, and is manufactured offsite minimizing project site disturbance, while maximizing quality.

Learn more about precast manufacturing Learn more about precast envelope systems Precast is Resilient Precast concrete inherently provides a high degree of quality and durability including multi-hazard protection from storms, flying debris, high winds, and can be designed to protect against explosions, and earthquakes. Precast also provides inherent fire resistance and does not require additional fireproofing.

ABOUT PRECAST
Precast Concrete
Precast concrete consists of concrete (a mixture of cement, water, aggregate and often admixtures) that is cast into specific shapes at a location other than its final in-service position. The concrete is placed into a form, or mold typically made of wood or steel, and cured before being stripped from the form, typically the following day. These components are then transported to the construction site for erection into place. Precast concrete is reinforced with either conventional reinforcing bars, strands with high-tensile strength, or a combination of both. Prestressing is a method of reinforcement where the steel strands are pretensioned in the form before the concrete is cast. Once the concrete is cured to a specific strength, the strands are cut (detensioned). As the strands, having bonded to the concrete, attempt to regain their original untensioned length, they bond to the concrete and apply a compressive force. This compressive force allows precast elements to span greater distances, carry more load, or a combination of both. Prestressing also reduces cracks as the members are in compression. Often it also, allows precast members to be reduced in size and weight relative to a similar conventional reinforced, cast-in place concrete member. Precast Components A variety of components can be fabricated from precast concrete, meeting a range of project needs. Listed here are the most common components that precast concrete manufacturers produce and that designers incorporate into their projects. Customized pieces, sizes and shapes can be created in most cases to meet specific needs.

Floors and Roofs Walls Building Structural Components (beams, columns, etc.) Piles Transportation Components Modular Components Misc. Components

The designer should consult with a producer early in the design phase to determine what components will work most efficiency and review specific sizes, joint locations, and other details that can create cost efficient options.

PRECAST FLOOR AND ROOF SYSTEMS

Precast concrete is an inherent structural material and works well for floor and roof systems. Precast concrete systems can be used as diaphragms to transfer lateral loads in a structure. The primary roof and floors systems are made up of three basic components.

Double Tees
Named for its shape, double-tees are used primarily as floor and roof deck components for any type of structure, including parking structures and all types of buildings. They are made either:

Pre-topped using a flange thickness of 4 in., which creates the wearing surface in parking structures; or Field- topped with a 2-in. flange, on which a cast-in-place concrete composite topping of 2 to 4 in. is added in the field. For roof construction, there is typically no need to add topping on the 2 in. flange. Typical widths: 8, 10, 12, and 15 ft. Typical depths: 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 in. Typical span-to-depth ratios: Floors: 25 to 35 / Roofs: 35 to 40 Finishes: Form side will generally be as cast, resulting in a smooth, hard finish. This generally remains as is and is not painted, although it can be if desired. The top-of-flange side will be smoothed for roof construction, left rough if it will receive a field topping or broomed (either transversally or longitudinally), or circular swirl-finished if it will be used as the wearing surface in a parking structure.

Hollow-core
Hollow-core slabs are used predominantly for floor and roof deck components for various structures such as residential, hotel, office buildings, schools, and prisons. Typical widths: 2, 4, and 8 ft; some precasters offer 10 and 12 ft widths Typical depths: 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 16 in. Typical span-to-depth ratios: Floors: 30 to 40 / Roofs: 40 to 50 Note: Each producer of hollow-core slabs uses a trademarked process that creates different shapes to form the voids within the pieces. Information on the key types of hollow-core and the signature shapes produced by each process can be found in the PCI Design Handbook 7thEdition. Load tables and span charts can be found on the website via the link on the right under Design Resources. Click hereto see a general overview of hollow-core cross-sections.

Solid Slabs
Solid slabs are used as structural deck components similar to hollow-core slabs. They can be made in a long-line pre-tensioning facility and reinforced with prestressing strand or cast in individual forms

with either prestressing strand or conventional reinforcing bars. They are typically cast in the same position as used in the structure.

Sizes can vary to satisfy the structural requirements. Typical widths: 4 to 12 ft. Typical spans: 8 to 30 ft. Typical thicknesses: 4 to 12 in. Finishes: The form side (bottom) is smooth as cast and typically will remain that way in the finished construction. When it is an exposed surface, it can remain as is or painted without additional treatment. The top side is troweled to the desired degree of smoothness or may be intentionally roughened to receive a cast-in-place concrete topping that will act compositely and provide additional strength.

Precast Structural Systems

To learn more about precast structural systems overall and how they work, as well as integration with other systems, click here.

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