Precast Concrete

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)