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.