The precast concrete building process is similar to tilt-up construction, but it addresses the challenges presented by weather. For precast concrete buildings work crews do not set up forms at the job site to create the panels. Instead, workers pre-cast concrete panels at a large manufacturing facility. Because the precast concrete forms are poured indoors, this activity can take place regardless of the weather conditions. After curing, the precast concrete panels are trucked to the job site. From this point precast concrete buildings are assembled in much the same manner as tilt-wall buildings.
Limitations & Considerations for Pre-Cast Construction
The fact that precast concrete walls are formed at a manufacturing facility resolves the weather issue, but presents a different limitation not found in tilt-up construction. Because the panels must be transported, sometimes over long distances, this places substantial limitations on how wide or tall each panel can be. It would be impossible to load precast panels that were 60 feet wide or 90 feet long onto trucks and transport them any distance.
For a precast construction project, the panels must be smaller and more manageable to allow trucks to haul them over the road to their final destination. This places greater design restrictions on architects and limits the applications where precast construction can be used. If you're interested in a pre-cast solution, but your not sure if it's the best choice, contact us today for a consultation.