Parking Solution: Beams, Columns, and Hollow Core

Parking is an amenity that adds value to any property offering residential units, whether it be multi-family, senior living, or mixed use. When beginning the design phase of these types of projects, it is important to consider the most efficient and cost-effective way to include that amenity in the property.

Oftentimes, utilization of a precast beam, column, and hollow core podium configuration is chosen for its many benefits, including maximum use of space, structural efficiency, and design flexibility. Generally, these podium configurations provide for an underground parking structure with a hollow core deck to provide both fire separation and the strength and durability to support heavy loads, perfect for multi-family, senior living, and mixed-use buildings.

There are a myriad of benefits to the precast podium, including load transfer for walls and a UL fire-rated system to separate the garage from the floors above.  Between real estate costs and land availability in highly populated areas, developers have an opportunity to find cost-savings by providing underground parking. And when building in the Midwest, underground parking is definitely an amenity that provides additional value to structures.

Precast building podiums are versatile – able to meet the needs for a multitude of structures. Every precast component is custom designed and manufactured for each unique project. When working with Mid-States Concrete Industries, all components are cast in a PCI Certified Plant and held to the strict standards required for that certification.

Additionally, with the experience of a PCI Certified Erector, podiums can be set in a matter of a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the size of the building. Components are shipped from the Plant for just in time delivery, with crews ready to install truck load after truck load each day on site, allowing a measure of certainty within a schedule. Precast concrete components can also be erected year-round, which also provides schedule benefits.

Precast concrete podiums maximize use of space, provide amenities to end-users of a building, and offer developers and contractors reliable and fast construction to help meet design requirements.

For more information on how precast concrete podiums could benefit your upcoming projects, please reach out to our Sales Team at sales@msprecast.com.

Mid-States Concrete Industries Acquires Architectural Precast, Inc.

SOUTH BELOIT, IL - (April 15, 2024) - Mid-States Concrete Industries has recently acquired Architectural Precast, Inc. of Browntown, Wis. Both companies specialize in precast concrete building systems. By combining the precast capabilities of Architectural Precast, Inc. and Mid-States Concrete’s expertise in precast solutions, customers will benefit from expanded opportunities for precast building solutions.

This is the second acquisition Mid-States Concrete Industries has made in recent months. In late December 2023, Mid-States Concrete Industries acquired Germantown, Wisconsin-based International Concrete Products. The acquisition of Architectural Precast, Inc. adds a second Wisconsin manufacturing location to Mid-States, which has its production facility in South Beloit, Ill.

The teams at Mid-States Concrete Industries and Architectural Precast, Inc. will continue to work with their customers every step of the way on their precast projects, including preconstruction assessment, design and engineering support through construction and completion to find the right solutions for each unique project.

“By combining Mid-States Concrete Industries and Architectural Precast, Inc. (API), our teams will bring an even greater energy and innovative charge to an already customer-focused approach to the marketplace,” said President Hagen Harker, Mid-States Concrete Industries.

The acquisition will allow Mid-States Concrete Industries to add to its already impressive portfolio of projects which include ABC Supply Stadium, University of Chicago Lab School, Glenview Village Hall, and Seneca Foods. Architectural Precast, Inc. will add experience gained from their own projects, such as Prairie Haus Apartments in New Glarus, Wis. and Klondike Cheese in Monroe, Wis., as well as work with residential general contractors for storage or rooms below garages.

“I’m extremely excited about joining the Mid-States company,” said Bronson Wahl, President of Architectural Precast, Inc. “The resources from Mid-States will allow us to continue providing great precast products with even better support.”

“This acquisition is going to bring some exciting things to our customers and the market,” said Jeremy Olivotti, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Mid-States Concrete Industries. “Increased capacity, new product offerings and better solutions. We love to help turn ideas into buildings and this is going to be a big part of us getting to help our customers do that.”

Both companies are multi-generation family-led organizations. Mid-States Concrete Industries was founded in 1946 and Architectural Precast, Inc. was founded in 2000. Both organizations pride themselves on partnering with their customers to find the right solutions for their unique projects.

“For more than 20 years, the Wahl family has delivered on innovation and being easy to do business with, a perfect strategy for precast concrete building system design, and one that Mid-States has nurtured itself over 78 years in business,” says Harker. “Developers, owners, architects and builders value consistency, competitive pricing and a quality product delivered safely and on time. Our commitment to these principles just got stronger.”

Better and Cleaner Unit Height Utilizing Precast Concrete and DELTABEAM

When it comes to new multi-family construction, a combination of precast concrete and the Peikko DELTABEAM® have a multitude of benefits.

One such project that benefitted from this combination is Wright & Wagner Lofts. Located at the corner of Grand Avenue and Broad Street in downtown Beloit, Wisc., Wright & Wagner is a former dairy turned luxury apartment community paying homage to the city's blue-collar industrial roots. The Wright & Wagner Lofts Riverfront Building opened to tenants in August 2023 with 83 total units. Also on the property is the Wright & Wagner Lofts Grand Building, opened in May 2021 featuring 54 loft units.

"(Precast concrete and the DELTABEAM) is a solution that provides a better and cleaner height for the units," said Jeremy Olivotti, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mid-States Concrete Industries. "It provides a fire rated assembly without having to add anything to it. The speed of installation works great on a project this size."

For the Riverfront Building, Mid-States Concrete Industries provided nearly 75,000 square feet of hollow core and solid slabs, 115 beams, 164 columns, 56 wall panels with a wood grain form liner, and 76 Peikko DELTABEAMS for five floors. Mid-States Concrete Industries also provided nearly 13,000 square feet of hollow core and solid slabs, 14 beams, 19 columns, and 85 wall panels with a wood grain form liner for the first floor of the Grand Building.

Corporate Contractors Inc. served as the general contractor on the project, and JLA Architects served as the architect on the project.

"The DELTABEAM was fantastic," said Sal Impellitteri, Senior Project Architect with JLA Architects. "Where it was in the middle of the building was really beneficial with the MEPs. Towards the edge, obviously the DELTABEAM has a cost factor... I think this was a good marriage of traditional T-beams and the DELTABEAMS."

DELTABEAM offers several of the same or similar benefits as precast concrete, including long spans, flexible open space, additional room height, easy and space-saving HVAC installations, lower heating and cooling costs, integrated fireproofing, and is suitable for all slab and column types.

Marc Ott, Vice President | Director of Quality Control with JLA Architects, was also satisfied with the precast concrete and DELTABEAM combination and called it "the perfect application for this project," adding that the combination also provided for the smooth ceilings desired in a multi-family residential building.

"We're really, really happy with it," Ott said. "It was really exciting to do something unique and work through unique things and solve problems."

While the project was under construction, Mid-States Concrete Industries created a four-part Precast Chalk Talk series with special guest Colin Butler of Peikko. Learn more about the DELTABEAM and how its integration with precast concrete can benefit your projects by clicking on the photos above.