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In this episode of Precast Chalk Talk, President Hagen Harker visits a jobsite in Dousman, Wisc. and talks with Foreman Adam Smith about how his team installs a precast podium and about the connections between precast components.
Questions? Comments? Ideas for a future episode? Comment below!
Wright and Wagner Lofts Riverfront Building in downtown Beloit, Wisc.
The calendar has flipped to the month of love. With Valentine’s Day coming up, we’ve been thinking a lot about love. Our love of precast concrete that is. And we want you to love precast concrete as much as we do.
Precast concrete is known for its strength, sustainability, functionality, and durability. While we love ourselves a total precast structure, precast concrete also integrates easily with other systems and provides versatility, efficiency, and resiliency. It is the clear choice for building high-performance structures.
Strength
Reinforced precast concrete can handle heavy amounts of stress, point loads, and weight.
2. Sustainability
Precast concrete stands as a resilient and durable contributor to sustainable design, enhancing both versatility and longevity. PCI producer and supplier members, like us, are at the forefront of sustainability efforts in the industry. Precast also offers a long service life and low maintenance. Precast is a long-lasting, high performance material that will last decades. Precast facilities require very low maintenance, which benefits building owners.
3. Functionality
Precast concrete can provide an open floor plate, allowing a flexible interior that can accommodate a variety of scenarios. Column-free space allows additional flexibility in floor plans and layouts. Shallow floor thicknesses with fewer beams provide unobstructed ceiling cavities for mechanical and electrical systems.
4. Durability
Precast concrete provides excellent protection against high winds, storm surges and flying debris. It also provides inherent fire protection. Concrete does not combust and therefore helps contain fires in a controlled space. Precast hollowcore has a minimum one-hour fire rating and a structural topping can increase that up to a four-hour rating. When used for separation, precast concrete also helps prevent fire from spreading throughout a building or jumping from building to building. Vermin and insects cannot destroy concrete because it is inedible. Concrete is also not susceptible to rust or mildew growth.
5. Versatility
Precast concrete adapts to many different functions, making it a favorite among architects, engineers, and contractors. When it comes to aesthetic versatility, precast concrete comes in a variety of colors, textures, and finishes for a custom fit.
6. Efficiency
The definition of efficient is “achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.” Precast concrete embodies this term throughout every stage of a building’s life. Efficient design uses appropriate sized sections. Precast concrete production uses the least amount of labor and materials. The speed of installation accelerates schedules. There are also reduced operating costs for a precast concrete building.
7. Resiliency
A resilient, durable building starts at the building envelope and employs proper sealing, insulation, and adequate moisture protection. For a long-lasting building, designers need a tight building envelope with low-maintenance interior and exterior finishes, which precast concrete can provide.
There you have it - seven solid reasons to love precast concrete. Interested in learning more about how precast can be integrated into your next project? Contact our team at sales@msprecast.com.
Are you interested in learning more about the precast concrete production process? Have you partnered with Mid-States Concrete Industries on a project and want to see it manufactured in real-time?
Our Sales Team - Jeremy Olivotti, Troy Yaun, Colin Jones, Charles Collins, and Mark Sallmann - is available to take you on a guided tour of our South Beloit, Illinois manufacturing facility. Dependent on production, tours may include our hollow core production hall, wet cast production hall, cage tie building, fabrication shop, detail and finishing areas, and yard.
Our South Beloit facility produces both structural and architectural precast components, including beams, columns, hollow core, solid slabs, and wall panels. Designers, engineers, owners, contractors, educators and students are all welcome to schedule tours, during which you will have the opportunity to see our plant in action. Learn how precast concrete is manufactured and finished, see the steps taken to ensure quality products, and gain a better understanding of how the product works within the design and construction process.
We love precast concrete and we want you to love it, too. Tours are customized based on what you are interested in observing and learning. Our goal is to give you the information you need to make the best decisions for your projects.
We can’t wait to show you all we have to offer! To ensure you are able to see all the things you are interested in, and that we have the experts on site to answer all your questions, please schedule plant tours in advance. Contact your favorite salesperson, or email sales@msprecast.com to book your tour.
In this episode of Precast Chalk Talk, President Hagen Harker visits International Concrete Products, a division of Mid-States Concrete Industries, in Germantown, Wisc. to chat with team members about a couple projects they are working on. Learn more about form liners from the team!
Questions? Comments? Ideas for a future episode? Comment below!
Winter construction can be challenging. Between low temperatures, snow, sleet, ice, and wind, there are plenty of obstacles in the colder months. But, utilizing precast concrete can help overcome these obstacles.
All Weather Manufacturing and Erection
Since precast concrete is cast inside a temperature-controlled plant, it is not impacted by cold winter temperatures, snow, or other elements. Additionally, Mid-States Concrete Industries installs precast components all year long, even during the wintriest months in the Midwest (subject to our safety guidelines), helping keep your projects on schedule.
Quality Control
Mid-States Concrete is a Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute-Certified Plant and Erector and as such is held to the strict standards of PCI. PCI’s certification programs ensure that our plant has developed and documented an in-depth, in house quality system based on time-tested national industry standards and that precast components are erected to the standards expected by owners, developers, architects, contractors, and the precast concrete industry.
Speed of Construction
Manufactured offsite, our precast concrete components are delivered just on time to the jobsite, based on the schedule agreed upon by the customer and Mid-States. The use of precast can help contractors enclose their buildings quicker, allowing inside trades to work during the colder months.
Safety
Safety is important to all of us, and we all must work together to keep our people safe. With the extra challenges winter brings, our vigilance to safety must remain front of mind. Mid-States Concrete has been certified by OSHA’s Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) since July 2017.
While the winter months shut down some parts of the construction industry, precast elements - beams, columns, wall panels, and floor and roof planks - are manufactured and installed year-round. Maintain your construction schedule and reap the benefits of precast concrete, like a 100-year service life and a building that is strong, durable, and resilient.
To learn more about how precast concrete can benefit your next construction project, contact our sales team today.
