Precast Concrete Cladding for Maximum Design Flexibility
Architectural precast concrete cladding is unique in that it allows architects to create components in ways which are not possible with any other material. Precast concrete combines structural strength with low porosity and mouldability, along with quality and versatility of finish. Creative options are almost limitless with this adaptable product.
Techrete can design, manufacture, and install panels in various shapes, textures, and colours to suit a building’s performance and aesthetic requirements. Panels can be designed to suit both structural and non-structural applications. Discover more advantages below.
Advantages of Precast Concrete
Design
For the designer, architectural precast concrete offers endless opportunities to develop and manipulate massing and form and a vast palette of colours and textures. Precast concrete enables the replication of the colour and finish of stone, masonry or terracotta and the incorporation of details such as cornices, quoins, arches, and decorative relief panels. The options for architectural expression are almost unlimited.
Quality
Precast concrete panels are produced under strict, factory-controlled conditions to ensure high quality in the client’s desired shapes, colours, and textures, along with close tolerances. Factory environments ensure that quality control and assurance procedures can be rigorously implemented.
Durability
Compared to other facade typologies, precast concrete panels have better durability because they require less joints and framing and because concrete itself exhibits greater durability properties than steel, wood, and composite aluminium facades.
The current standard for precast concrete is approximately 50-60 years, however relatively minor changes to specification in cover and cement type could extend this considerably beyond 100 years, thereby reducing the whole life-cycle carbon impact.
Techrete aim to further increase the durability of our own products by experimenting with non-corrosive reinforcement and incorporating durability-enhancing supplementary-cementitious materials into our mixes e.g., GGBS.
Weather Resistance
Precast concrete is resistant to rain penetration and wind-blown debris. Unlike other facade materials which can deteriorate quickly, concrete can withstand winters of freeze-thaw cycles.
Acoustics
Our products can be designed to meet a building’s acoustic performance requirements.
Low Life Cycle Cost
A precast façade can be designed to match the intended life of a building with minimal maintenance, providing substantial long-term savings. While aesthetically pleasing, the exterior surface is virtually airtight and watertight and does not require painting. This helps the building to remain in excellent condition long-term, ensuring its desirability for future tenants or owners.
Energy Efficient
Precast concrete panels can provide a high degree of energy efficiency for the buildings they enclose. Recessed window walls, vertical fins and other sculptured shapes facilitate the design of many types of shading devices for window areas to reduce glare and solar gain. This reduces air-conditioning costs. Insulation may be applied to the back of walls, or incorporated into a sandwich wall panel, which reduces heating and cooling costs.
No Scaffolding Required
As the panels are lifted into position using a tower or mobile crane and restrained back to the structure with fixings internally, external scaffolding is not required, and this reduces the cost of the overall building.
Programme Speed
Prefabrication and phased delivery to site, accelerate the construction programme and a weathertight building enclosure is rapidly achieved. Glazing, fixings, thermal insulation and a vapour control layer can be incorporated before delivery to site, thus reducing the site programme.
Wet Trades Minimised
On-site ‘wet trades’ are minimized and if internal precast elements are pre-finished, they can virtually be eliminated.
Extra Floor Area
Precast cladding panels produce a thinner external wall than conventional double-skin walls, increasing the lettable floor area.
Waste Reduced
Precast cladding panels produce little or no waste as they arrive to site in a finished state. Reduction of waste at the manufacturing stage reduces the cost of the overall building.
Fire Resistance
Concrete provides the best fire resistance of any building material. It cannot be ‘set on fire’ and does not burn or emit toxic fumes, smoke or drip molten particles when exposed to fire.
Windows Can Be Incorporated
Windows can be pre-installed into our panels in the factory, which reduces programme and on-site labour. It should be noted that there must be concrete on four sides of the window for this to be achievable.
Overall Cost Reduction
Each of the above advantages contributes to reducing costs, whether in the short or long term. Off-site prefabrication and increased on-site productivity – especially if the panelisation scheme uses the largest units possible to deliver and handle on-site – ensure optimum value. Less dependence on on-site activities helps to stabilize the overall cost of a building. A shorter construction period reduces interim financing costs. In the longer term, the durability and minimum maintenance ensure further savings.