Precast concrete structural components provide a high-quality product that is manufactured in factory-controlled environment which helps improve quality and maintain tight tolerances. Offsite manufacture means it can be produced all year round.
One of the benefits of precast concrete is its sound insulation characteristics, so noise is dramatically reduced. Precast walls are thick and help to block out excess noise, which is why it is ideal for complexes, hotels, commercial buildings and apartments.
The outstanding corrosion-resistant properties of reinforced concrete make it the perfect choice for piles, columns, walls, and other precast components. Its resistance to moisture also makes it the ideal material for constructing foundations.
Precast concrete structural components such as floors, wall panels, columns and beams are ideal for frame construction due to their excellent A1 fire rating. Precast concrete products don’t catch fire, give off toxic fumes or add fuel to the fire.
Depending on the design of a construction project, precast concrete can be moulded to any size and shape. Due to the components being manufactured offsite the build time of site can be significantly reduced resulting in a lower environmental impact.
Precast concrete cladding offers a cost-effective means of providing a robust, high-quality facade, with a great variety of durable textures, colours and patterns, including a range of facing materials such as stone and brick. It is also known as architectural precast concrete cladding.
Precast concrete cladding can be installed quickly on site which, with just-in-time delivery, offers significant construction and programme benefits. Other benefits include quality-controlled and pre-determined surfaces, low waste and material efficiency and high thermal performance.
Panels can be supported by the structural frame of a building, or self-supporting and restrained. Cladding panels can also be designed to be load-bearing to support floors.
Main Benefits include:
Structural precast construction is an effective and efficient method of offsite construction that employs factory-produced, precision engineered, concrete structural components. It uses precast concrete elements for buildings and Infrastructure projects.
Concrete as a locally sourced material with low environmental and social impacts, lends itself to structures with a typical design life of at least 100 years with low maintenance requirements, thereby providing a sustainable solution for building and infrastructure. Furthermore, up to 95 per cent of concrete and reinforcement used in precast structural concrete is recyclable at the end of its viable use.
Concrete’s versatility enables the cost-effective delivery of a wide range of structural forms.
Concretes designed to meet the appropriate requirements of EN 206-1 and BS 8500 perform well in the harsh environmental conditions experienced in marine and coastal applications. Precast concrete can be used in a wide range of applications in harsh environments.
Manufacture of the precast components can start prior to the commencement of work on the site. This enables the precast to be delivered and installed on a just-in-time basis. Precast can be delivered to site with windows and services conduits cast into the panels, thus further accelerating the work of following trades.