Precast Concrete
Concrete is the
foundation on which our society is built on. Literally. And, precast concrete,
a form of concrete formation, has become the most accepted form of construction
in recent years. Recently, Queensland, Australia has formed a $300 million
State Infrastructure Plan where majority of its projects plan to employ precast
concrete. How has this form been developed over years?
It was builders who
realized that the building process would be expedited tremendously if they
poured the concrete moulds. And hence, these ancient structures have stood the
test of time. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Well, it can’t
be destroyed in a day too, due to precast concrete. In the modern age, it was John
A. Brodie and Yannick Macken who developed precast panelled buildings in 1905,
allowing them to be built quicker and cheaper than ever before.
(A picture of a bridge constructed using precast concrete)
Many industrial experts
have hailed precast concrete as the most beneficial form of casting in the
industry at present. A precast slab, when combined with an in situ concrete
topping is said save thousands of dollars compared to the conventional method
of slab concrete casting. Other advantages of using precast concrete is the
increased quality of the material and the reduced cost of constructing large
forms used with concrete poured on site. It is used mainly in the construction
of buildings with repetitive design and elements, such as schools and
apartments. Materials which have been built using high structural strength and
rigidity, which have also been found to support heavy loads. This allows longer
span in structural components and saves time too.
Yet, there are
disadvantages in using precast concrete too. There exists a very small margin
for error, hence very skilled workmanship is required in the application of the
panel on site. The need for repetition of forms will affect creativity in building
design. Yet, these challenges could be overcome. Significant efficiency in
labour can be achieved through mass production techniques which could solve the
hurdle of costly labour. With time, other problems could be resolved too.
(The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, Baku is going to be built using precast)
