Precast as a Sound Barrier

By Stephanie Kohl
Marketing

I have a confession. I know my upstairs neighbor much better than he probably thinks I do. I have lived in many apartments in my life, but this is the first time I have ever lived on the first floor - meaning it is the first time I have ever had someone living above me. And let me tell you, I can hear EVERYTHING.

I can say with absolute certainty that there is no precast separating my apartment from the one upstairs. If there were, I certainly wouldn't know what time he got up each morning or that he vacuums his entire apartment every Saturday morning, or that (I'm assuming) he has an entire home gym in his living room and focuses on deadlifting every afternoon when he gets home from work. There is no precast between my apartment and the one next to mine either, and that guy snores.

Acoustics play a vital role in the design of a building, and the designer's selection of materials to build with. The building partition (floors, walls and ceilings) of each space offers a measurable level of privacy from outside noise and from physical impacts against the floors, walls, and ceilings themselves.

Due to its density and its ability to absorb sound, precast is an ideal choice for your latest construction project. Precast acts as a natural sound barrier, preventing neighbors from hearing into each other's units. As a building owner, assuring your residents they will not hear the footsteps of their upstairs neighbors or their neighbor's bass on Friday night are big selling points. I know I would agree to a higher rent if I did not have to hear my current neighbors.

When all is said and done, the common goal of architects, builders, and building owners is to acquire as much acoustical performance for the money as possible. Precast can help provide that value. Precast concrete provides high mass and insulation and Mid-States can transform this natural material into a variety of configurations, shapes, patterns, colors, and styles to meet almost any creative and functional vision.

Had my apartment been built using precast, I wouldn't be starting my apartment search all over again. However, my neighbors still got the raw end of the deal. After all, I have a preschooler.

What makes a good project partner?

What makes a good project partner?

According to organizations we have worked with, a good project partner encompasses a few things, like open communication (whether it is good or bad news), flexibility, reliability, quality, early involvement/upfront coordination/design assistance, problem solving skills, looking out for the best interest of the client, and, of course, fair price.

Mid-States Concrete Industries strives to be the best partner possible on all your projects. In addition to our Face-to-Face Solution – which includes project assessment and planning, project strategy, single source installation, and completion confirmation – we have also focused on the customer experience we provide to each of our partners, and have set expectations for what we deliver at every point of contact with you, our customers.

”Mid-States really helped us all the way through design to get the project within budget,” said Adam Cohen, Co-owner of Keller, Inc. Mid-States Concrete worked on their Ellaretee LLC project in Germantown, Wisc.

”Mid-States helped us secure a date for their factory,” Cohen added. “We had some financing troubles with land closings and things that didn’t pertain to Mid-States, but they took ownership with the project and helped us meet the dates for the project… It all came together and Mid-States walked with us.”

Adam Hahn, director of Construction Services for Watts Group, said he really likes to get Mid-States involved early for concept and design.

“The ease that I see is that I like to get the precast team involved during design so that I know the people who are making it and installing it are the ones who are helping design it,” Hahn said.

Tom Quinn, Director of Preconstruction of Russell Construction, agreed that bringing in Mid-States early to help with preliminary design and budget makes a big difference, as does having one point of contact within a subcontractor.

“I prefer to have one person because I know I can call one person and get what I need,” Quinn said. “It’s kind of nice to have one single source of responsibility.”

Customers like Cole Payne, project manager at Encore Commercial, value the honesty and upfront attitude Mid-States has provided. He said Mid-States helps him put together a good game plan and sticks to what is promised.

“They’re never false about their information,” Payne said of team members he has worked with (including Matt Keith, Manager of Design Services; Jeremy Olivotti, Vice President of Preconstruction; and Brian Blum, Senior Project Manager). “So, if it’s going to take them seven weeks to install, they try and better it, but it’s around that timeframe.”

Another thing important to Customers is the quality of the people they are working with. Steve Austin, VP & Project Manager for Krupp General Contractors, said there are a handful of “really good subcontractors” his team works with, and Mid-States Concrete is among that group.

“The number one thing for me is the quality of the people you have,” Austin said. “Jeremy [Olivotti] is a great guy and your field guys are very good, too. They communicate well and they are easy folks to work with. I get good comments from my field guys about your staff.”

Does Mid-States sound like the right partner for you? We’d love to contribute to your next successful project. Please contact us at sales@msprecast.com to learn more.

Precast Chalk Talk: Episode 17

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Building green with precast concrete

Precast concrete offers designers an opportunity to create meaningful buildings in which to live, work, and play, that are also sustainable. Sustainability encompasses the life cycle of a building from cradle to grave, so not only must a building product be manufactured in a sustainable manner and provide an environmental benefit once commissioned, it must also deliver those benefits over an extended period of time.

Precast concrete can contribute to sustainable design in many ways.

1. Precast concrete panels provide a long service life due to their durable, low-maintenance surfaces. Insulated sandwich panels paired with precast concrete construction also provides the opportunity to move and reuse panels to refurbish the building, rather than tear it down, should its use or function change.

2. The thermal mass of concrete allows shifting of peak heating and cooling loads in a structure to help reduce mechanical-system requirements and energy consumption through the building envelope.

3. Concrete is noncombustible and can contain a fire. As a separation wall, precast concrete helps prevent fire from spreading throughout a building or jumping from building to building. Precast concrete is resistant to wind, hurricanes, and floods.

4. Precast concrete panels have negligible air infiltration. Minimizing air infiltration between panels and at floors and ceilings will provide a building with low air infiltration.  These effects will lower energy costs and help prevent moisture problems.

5. Concrete is used in almost every country of the world as a basic building material.  Aggregates, about 85% of concrete content, are generally low-energy, local, naturally occurring sand and stone. Most precast concrete plants are within 200 miles of a building site. Using local materials reduces the transportation required to ship heavy building materials, and the associated energy and emissions.

6. Concrete contains low to negligible volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Polished concrete floors do not require carpeting. Exposed concrete walls do not require finishing materials, eliminating particulates from sanding drywall taping seams.

7. Precast concrete provides reflective surfaces that minimize the urban heat-island effect.

8. Precast concrete walls provide a buffer between outdoor noise and the indoor environment.

9. Vermin and insects cannot destroy concrete because it is inedible.

10. Most materials for precast products can be obtained locally, so there is no need to import materials from thousands of miles away.

11. Precast is easy to crush and recycle for use as aggregate.

12. Precast concrete systems greatly reduce unnecessary building materials from ever reaching a project site.

Precast concrete lends itself well to fast and environmentally friendly construction. It can help set your next project up for success during all phases of the building’s life cycle through precast concrete’s many structural, architectural, environmental, construction and energy-saving benefits.

~ Information provided by PCI

Early design assistance available

By Tara Loomis
Senior Structural Engineer

Are you getting started on a project and need some help with layout and design, while keeping value in mind? In recent years, a trend toward early integration of the design/build process has developed into what is now called design assist.

Mid-States Concrete is currently able to offer services to our customers – including layout, design, and value – as early as the schematic design phase, helping customers to keep their projects on-time, on-budget and on-target. These services are provided for you through our preconstruction department by Tara Loomis, senior structural engineer. Prior to Mid-States, Tara spent 20 years in the consulting engineering field, which exposed her to a wide variety of building materials and systems. Her vast work experiences make her uniquely qualified to evaluate your projects and propose the precast solution that best fits your project’s needs.

Getting Mid-States on board early, and working through early design phases together, aids in cost efficient element sizing and helps to limit issues during final design, saving you time and money. If drawings are already underway, we can review the drawings and provide any cost-saving comments to ensure an efficient and economical precast layout. If your project is not a total precast structure, we can help with how the entire structure will be framed, calculate loads, and aid in precast sizing that is critical at the time of design development, truly partnering with you to ensure the success of your project. Determining precast element sizing early saves on drawing modifications later. It also eliminates other issues that often arise when element heights change late in a project. Again, this early work can save time and money later.

Another area we can help is with precast details. If you are unsure which is the correct detail to use on a project, or which is most cost efficient, we are here to assist with drawing development and design. Tara can aid in things from building envelope solutions to advanced building efficiencies and performance, which allows clients to maximize investments in their buildings.

Tara’s technical experience, attention to detail, and knowledge of precast efficiencies gives her and the Mid-States team a valuable understanding of how to best support our customers, and ultimately help your project to be successful.

If you are interested in precast design assistance for a project, please contact Mid-States at sales@msprecast.com.