Discover High Performance Precast

Precast concrete is a high performance material that integrates easily with other systems and inherently provides the versatility, efficiency and resiliency needed to meet the multi-hazard requirements and long-term demands of high performance structures.

Choosing precast concrete during the design build process can provide a multitude of architectural, construction and design benefits. Whether you are designing commercial structures, residential structures, parking garages or another type of structure, consider precast concrete as your building material of choice.

Versatility
Precast concrete provides excellent versatility in aesthetics, structural design, and use. Precast concrete provides a number of architectural benefits. It comes in almost any color, form, and texture, and can also be veneered or embedded with natural materials. It can also be utilized as the primary structural system saving material, time, and money. Precast concrete can also provide greater open spans by reducing the number of interior columns thereby increasing flexibility in the use of the floor space.

Efficiency
Precast concrete provides efficiency in use of materials, construction, and operation. Precast concrete is the fastest building system available and minimizes negative effects at the project site. Precast also provides a very thermally efficient and almost maintenance free envelope that helps reduce overall life-cycle costs. Precast concrete has been used in a variety of projects focused on sustainable design due in part to its efficiency benefits.

Resiliency
Precast inherently provides a high level of resiliency which protects against multiple hazards such as fire, severe storms, explosions, and even earthquakes. Precast also does not contain any VOCs or provide a food source for mold which helps maintain a healthy indoor environment. It is also a great sound insulator and can help maintain more uniform indoor temperatures thereby improving occupant comfort.

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Training a Team of Leaders

What happens when you train an entire company to be leaders? That’s what Mid-States aims to find out.

The company currently has 10 people enrolled in leadership training based on John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, led by Jeremy Olivotti, Vice President of Preconstruction.  Olivotti is certified by Maxwell to teach the program.

John Maxwell is the top leadership expert in the world. He has written more than 70 books and spoken to millions of people on the subject of leadership and what it takes to become a great leader. One of the things Maxwell is known for saying is “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

The Mid-States group meets once each week and training lasts for 11 weeks. After the first introduction week, it covers two chapters of the book at each session. The goal is for everyone to not only understand what good leadership is, but also to empower them to become great leaders.

“The dream is to have every employee go through it,” Olivotti said.

Leadership skills are useful at work, home and in all aspects of life. Really, the course will help members of the Mid-States team develop not just into leaders, but the type of leaders people want to follow.

“We’re learning that the more we grow our people, the more fulfilled they are,” Olivotti said. “The better they are at home, the better they are at work. It’s contagious.”

The training offers a common language in which to discuss leadership. The laws help people identify deficiencies, discuss them and, ultimately, correct them, making for a more positive company culture.

Olivotti is a firm believer that people want leaders who believe in them and want to help them achieve their goals. This training program will help create that kind of leader here at Mid-States. Among some of Olivotti’s favorite chapters to study are: The Law of Respect, The Law of Picture (people do what people see) and The Law of Victory (leaders find a way for the team to win).

“Leadership is defined as influence,” Olivotti said. “Nothing more and nothing less. We want to give our people opportunities to influence people in a positive way.”

The training sessions also allow the team to get to know teammates they might not get to interact with on a day-to-day basis and incorporates plenty of participation. The group is very candid in discussions, leading to insightful, open, and productive dialogue.

Now, you can’t have a company full of leaders and no followers, so the course also teaches participants how to be better followers. Through the training, participants learn to understand what other leaders are trying to accomplish and help them understand what they need to do to support these leaders.

Some of us will lead at work. Some of us will lead at home. Some of us will lead our kid’s soccer team. The important thing is we all lead by example.

The Total Solution for the Structural Engineer

Structural engineers report no difficulty in learning to design with total precast concrete systems. They also benefit from the material’s ease of use and efficiency.

Lateral design flexibility: Combining architecture and structure provides efficiencies in many buildings’ lateral support systems. External elements, typically cladding-on-steel or concrete-framing systems, can become laterally stiff and resist wind and earthquake forces. Parallel efforts by the precast engineer can provide the structural engineer with specific input ahead of final construction document preparation, limiting shop-drawing review effort and redesign.

All-in-one components: Total precast concrete systems allow the architectural panels to serve structural functions, limiting the need to incorporate multiple materials and trades. For instance, spandrel panels support floor systems and windows while providing final exterior finishes. Or sill panels are used as grade beams, retain soil, support windows and provide the architectural exterior finish, avoiding complex cladding systems. Combining exterior spandrels into the structural system provides deeper elements, limiting deflections and the complexities of designing for relative movements between frame and cladding system. Precast cores support floor systems while providing secure and fire rated enclosures for elevators and stair functions.

Comprehensive drawing: A total precast concrete system ensures one-stop shopping for the core/shell design. One source can design and supply the entire system, generating a better coordinated set of drawings that allows construction to proceed more efficiently. It eliminates the added effort needed to coordinate various trades when using mixed systems controlled by different supplies.

Easy handling: Site construction moves smoothly because no special equipment or techniques are required to transport or lift combined structural and architectural components. These types of activities often can require additional structural review and exposure.

Concrete systems mean success. The benefits offered by total precast concrete systems accrue to the owner, architect, general contractor and structural engineer’s bottom lines – and ultimately benefit the end user. The system provides an efficient design, cost effectiveness and a strong, durable appearance that will maintain its image throughout a long service life.

Key Benefits:

• Speed to market

• Design flexibility

• Aesthetic versatility

• High quality

• Low maintenance

• Environmentally-friendly

• Strong engineering support

• Single-source supplier

-  Information courtesy of PCI.

The Total Solution for the General Contractor

General contractors find precast concrete components make their job easier at the site, ensuring a smooth process for the owner and designer in both the short and long terms.

Construction speed: Time is money for the entire construction team. Precast concrete’s speed through design, fabrication and erection help meet tight deadlines. This particularly aids contractors when permitting processes slow down or unforeseen delays arise at the site due to soil conditions or other factors. Precast structural systems are ready to be erected when the contractor is prepared.

All-weather construction: Contractors can minimize the added “cushion” created in schedule to accommodate bad weather conditions, since precast components can be produced and erected all year round. The roughened surface of precast components does not become slick or difficult to handle in harsh weather as other building materials can.

Foundation aid: Total precast systems can minimize foundation work by having sills designed as grade beams and basement walls and core walls designed as precast panels. The components can be fabricated in advance and laid into place as soon as the site is ready.

Fireproofing: This messy, time-consuming job can be eliminated, along with the need to patch and rework after other trades finish at the project’s later stages. Precast members are naturally fire protected, because they will not burn.

Smooth erection process: Because precast concrete pieces are fabricated in controlled conditions using high-quality procedures, design more exactly meets specifications. Field adjustments thereby are reduced, creating a smooth erection process with minimal surprises.

Concrete systems mean success. The benefits offered by total precast concrete systems accrue to the owner, architect, general contractor and structural engineer’s bottom lines – and ultimately benefit the end user. The system provides an efficient design, cost effectiveness and a strong, durable appearance that will maintain its image throughout a long service life.

Key Benefits:

• Speed to market

• Design flexibility

• Aesthetic versatility

• High quality

• Low maintenance

• Environmentally-friendly

• Strong engineering support

• Single-source supplier

-  Information courtesy of PCI.

The Total Solution for the Architect

In addition to helping meet all of the building owner’s goals, total precast concrete systems provide specific advantages to architects that make the design process smoother.

Interior design flexibility: Precast concrete systems help building owners adapt to changing client needs through the years. Double-tee spans of 45 to 50 feet match typical composite-steel framing and minimize the need for interior columns required with cast-in-place systems. Precast spans can reach as much as 70 feet, providing flexibility for challenging interior requirements. Precast also provides high floor-loading capability with little added cost.

Efficient design: Working in parallel with the precaster can provide early and precise design aid that ensures the most efficient sizes and shapes for components, which minimizes the budget for casting, transporting and erecting pieces. Component repetition reduces form costs and aids design speed while retaining design flexibility. These cost efficiencies free up more of the budget for other critical design areas.

Aesthetic variety: Innovative precasters continue to develop mixes, tints, insets, finishes and multi-color pours, providing an almost endless range of aesthetic options. Virtually any desired appearance can be achieved. The options include natural stone replication, inset brick, multi-color panels, multi-surface textures and special logo, emblem or signage embedment.

Strong finish-approval process: Precasters can provide finish samples, range samples and large-scale mockups, ensuring that design concepts translate into reality. Designers can inspect window interfaces, joint connections and other critical elements to ensure they are visually acceptable and will properly interface between trades. Plant visits to discuss technical and aesthetic concerns provide control without required constant site supervision.

Green design: Precast concrete offers a number of benefits that make it environmentally-friendly, a growing need as the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) criteria become more popular. Precast requires fewer chemicals to keep it clean over its long lifetime, and it offers a high thermal mass. It can be produced locally and creates no job waste. Cement reducers such as fly ash and other admixtures also aid its environmental friendliness. And its high durability gives it a total service life that far outpaces designs using other building materials.

Tight floor-to-floor heights: Precast concrete systems sometimes fit within alternative system depths but shouldn’t add more than approximately eight inches to each floor level, creating an approximate 5-percent increase in exterior wall material. This slight addition is easily overcome by working with the precaster to make effective use of the overall floor-plan shape and using the benefits precast provides in repetition of component fabrication.

Concrete systems mean success. The benefits offered by total precast concrete systems accrue to the owner, architect, general contractor and structural engineer’s bottom lines – and ultimately benefit the end user. The system provides an efficient design, cost effectiveness and a strong, durable appearance that will maintain its image throughout a long service life.

Key Benefits:

• Speed to market

• Design flexibility

• Aesthetic versatility

• High quality

• Low maintenance

• Environmentally-friendly

• Strong engineering support

• Single-source supplier

-  Information courtesy of PCI.