The Versatility of Hollowcore

By PCI IW

When it comes to efficient, versatile, and sustainable building solutions, hollowcore precast concrete slabs are at the forefront of innovation. Whether you’re working on residential, commercial, or industrial projects, hollowcore delivers a range of benefits that directly address the demands of today’s construction challenges. Let’s dive into why architects, engineers, and contractors are increasingly turning to hollowcore for their projects.

What is Hollowcore?

Hollowcore slabs are precast, prestressed concrete elements with continuous voids running through them. These voids not only make the slabs lighter but also reduce material usage without compromising strength. Ideal for long spans and heavy loads, hollowcore can be used for floors, roofs, and even walls. The result? A structural solution that’s strong, durable, and cost-effective.

Why Choose Hollowcore?

  1. Speed of Construction: Time is money in construction, and hollowcore helps accelerate project timelines. Precast offsite and delivered ready to install, these slabs minimize onsite labor and reduce curing delays. Your schedule just got a lot tighter - and your bottom line, healthier.

  2. Structural Efficiency: With spans reaching up to 50 feet, hollowcore eliminates the need for intermediate supports in many designs. This allows for flexible layouts, open spaces, and more creative architectural possibilities.

  3. Sustainability: Hollowcore uses less concrete than solid slabs, reducing overall material consumption and contributing to a more sustainable construction process. Plus, the thermal mass of hollowcore improves energy efficiency, helping buildings meet today’s green standards.

  4. Fire Resistance: Precast hollowcore slabs provide inherent fire resistance, offering peace of mind for safety-focused projects.

  5. Cost Savings: The reduced need for formwork, faster installation, and lower material use translate directly into cost savings for the owner and contractor alike.

Design and Application Insights

Hollowcore isn’t just versatile - it’s adaptable. Here are a few specific applications and details to consider:

  • Mixed Use Developments: Perfect for buildings that require varying load capacities across floors, such as parking garages beneath residential units.

  • Educational Facilities: Hollowcore’s sound-dampening properties and ability to support large spans make it ideal for schools and auditoriums.

  • Warehouses and Industrial Spaces: Long spans and heavy load capacities make it a natural fit for industrial environments.

When designing with hollowcore, collaboration with precast producers is key. PCI-certified producers, like Mid-States Concrete Industries, bring decades of expertise, offering custom solutions tailored to the unique needs of your project.

Hollowcore by the Numbers

  • Voids: Typically, hollowcore slabs have voids that reduce weight by approximately 30-40% compared to solid concrete slabs of the same dimensions.

  • Span-to-Depth Ratio: Common span-to-depth rations range from 30:1 to 40:1, depending on the loading requirements.

  • Thickness Options: Available in thicknesses ranging from 6 inches to 16 inches to suit various structural demands.

Ready to Build Smarter?

As we continue to push the boundaries of construction, hollowcore stands out as a reliable, proven solution for a wide range of projects. Its combination of speed, efficiency, and sustainability ensures that it meets the evolving needs of the AEC industry.

Looking to incorporate hollowcore into your next project? Connect with Mid-States Concrete Industries to explore the full potential of this precast marvel. Our team of experts are here to help you design, specify, and build with confidence. Contact us today at sales@msprecast.com.

Visit Us At AIA Wisconsin

Visit Mid-States Concrete Industries and International Concrete Products at the AIA Wisconsin 2025 Expo on Architecture on May 21 and 22 at the Madison Marriott West Conference Center. Catch us in Booths 22 and 23! The Expo is scheduled for 2:30 PM - 5 PM on Wednesday, May 21 and 11:15 AM - 1:15 PM on Thursday, May 22.

We love attending this event and sharing our love of precast and its benefits with attendees. Plus, it's a great time to catch up about all the projects you are working on. Our team offers dedicated sales, estimating, project management, engineering, design, production, and construction teams to meet all of your precast needs. Design teams are such an important part of the success of any project. Itis a privilege to partner with the best around. We look forward to seeing you and learning about your latest projects.

Safety Before All Else

At Mid-States Concrete Industries, we practice six World-Changing Behaviors:

  1. Safety before all else

  2. Yes! attitude

  3. Be candid

  4. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes

  5. Practice the four referability habits

    1. Show up on time

    2. Do what you say you are going to do

    3. Finish what you start

    4. Say please and thank you

  6. Be a little weird!

In honor of Construction Safety Week, which is May 5 to May 9 this year, we want to shine a spotlight on our first world-changing behavior – safety before all else.

“Safety starts with, basically, getting up in the morning and it starts with being a human being,” said Hagen Harker, president of Mid-States Concrete.

Hagen frequently speaks with our new staff members and asks a couple of key questions. The first – how many people would say, as a person, you have pretty good common sense? The second – And how many of you would say safety is basically good common sense? The third – how many of you have ever been injured - cut your finger, fallen off a ladder or worse? Finally – if safety is common sense, then why are you getting hurt?

“That is the story to training – the right tools, culture, auditing - that is the journey,” Hagen said.

We have many safety programs that we follow throughout our organization, according to Safety Specialist Jack MacDougall, including hazard communication and fall protection for both general industry standards as well as construction standards. All Mid-States foremen, supervisors, and managers complete OSHA 30-Hour training to increase their knowledge of hazard recognition and all-around safety. Additionally, we have a strong PPE policy which requires all team members to wear, at least, a hard hat, safety glasses, high vis vest or shirt, and steel toed boots anytime they are in a production area. Additional PPE is also required when completing certain tasks.

Safety Manager Tracy Miller added we also have first responders on all shifts in the plant and all field team members are first responders. Additionally, refresher training is completed every year for lockout/tagout, safety data sheets for hazard communication, forklift safety, crane safety, rigging, fall protection, and fire safety. This is just a small sampling of the safety policies and programs in place at our facilities.

“You can’t run a business if you have people out there getting injured,” Hagen said. “… It’s not just that safety is important, it is the process behind it, the commitment to the training, and auditing and the investment… the company takes the money we make and pours it back in.”

As a team, we are committed to safety. It is a part of our company culture. We are committed to safety in that we want the members of our team, and the members of the teams we work with, to go home to their families and their hopes and their goals and their dreams, in the same condition at the end of their shifts, as they were in when they arrived.

Safety is not the responsibility of just one person or one team. It is the responsibility of all team members, and a responsibility our team members take seriously. The team takes the responsibility so seriously, in fact, that our South Beloit plant has been OSHA SHARP certified since 2017. This program recognizes employers who have used OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program services and operate exemplary safety and health programs. Acceptance of a worksite into SHARP from OSHA is an achievement of status that singles you out among business peers as a model for worksite safety and health. Among the goals of the Safety Team is to get our plants in both Browntown and Germantown OSHA SHARP certified as well.

“No one person ever gets this thing done,” Hagen said. “It’s ingrained and it’s the care you show people as to why it’s important and help them to see that.”

Safety before all else.

Meet the Mid-States Safety Team

Although Safety Week is really every week here at Mid-States Concrete Industries, the nationally-recognized Construction Safety Week is May 5 to May 9 this year. And since safety is above all else at Mid-States Concrete, we recognize Safety Week by spotlighting our current safety team.

Hannah Martensen, Director of Safety and Human Resources
While Hannah is technically new to the Safety team, she has been working with the safety team for more than five years managing workplace injuries, incident responses and corrective actions. As Safety and Human Resources are both focused on taking care of people when the opportunity to lead both teams presented itself, Hannah jumped right on board.

“Nothing is more important than our teammates going home to their families at the end of the day,” Hannah said. “When you look at the big picture, if we aren’t working safely, nothing across the company clicks in - it’s our foundation.”

Hannah is extremely proud of our OSHA SHARP status and the commitment at every level of our organization to keeping our team healthy and safe. In the coming months, she is excited to roll out KPA Flex - an online safety program that is going to bring us to a new level. It is a digital platform for tracking everything - near misses, incident investigations, audits, and safety training records.

Tracy Miller, Safety Manager
Tracy has been part of the Mid-States Concrete team for nearly 12 years. She started as an assistant for continuous improvement, which meant creating lots of processes. Safety was something she always followed and understood the importance of PPE, procedures, and protocols. And over time, through firsthand experience, she began to truly understand the “why” behind the rules.

“I saw one person’s actions could impact an entire team, and how a strong safety culture protects not just the individuals, but families and communities,” Tracy said. “My safety journey is ongoing, and I’m committed to growing, learning, and leading by example.”

Tracy thinks it is important for organizations like ours to have an environment where people feel empowered to raise concerns, where near misses are learning opportunities, and where everyone goes home safely, every day.

“Safety, to me, is more than a policy or checklist - it’s a mindset and responsibility to do the right thing when no one else is watching,” Tracy said.

Knowing it takes a team effort to achieve, Tracy is extremely proud to have the South Beloit plant OSHA SHARP certified. The plant first received the designation in 2017 and has held onto it every year since. She is excited to work toward getting out other plants OSHA SHAEP certified, as well as to continue to look for innovative ways to improve processes and safety.

“I am most proud of the safety culture that has been created here,” Tracy said. “We are one team. Everyone looks out for each other.”

Jack MacDougall, Safety Specialist
Jack has been part of the Mid-States Concrete Safety team for two years. He started with Mid-States as an intern, after “falling into safety” while still a student. As a student he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do, but after hearing some friends talk about their safety classes, he tried some classes himself. Feeling like it was something he could excel it, his safety career began.

“I knew when I first went into safety that I wanted to go somewhere that is very much in need of safety,” Jack said. “I knew I wanted to be more hands on rather than sitting at a desk and writing policies and procedures all day. Precast has its own niche of hazards and most of the things that we work with, whether that be sharp objects, chemicals, tens of thousands of pounds of concrete slabs, or equipment, make it a constant battles of trying to identify hazards before something happens. It forces us to be hands on and out on the production floor working with team members to find the best solutions for them.”

In his time with Mid-States, Jack is most proud of the fact that we have a team committed to keeping everyone safe. If someone brings up a potential hazard, the team is on it and talking to team members to come up with the best solution. Jack is proud that we are a team that works with team members and their concerns, rather than working just to stay compliant.

He also takes pride in being part of the recent OSHA SHARP renewal process, a designation that not many precast companies receive. He added the program shows our team members company-wide that we are committed to doing what we can to make sure they are equipped with everything they need.

“(OSHA is) willing to work with us because we have a great track record of correcting hazards as soon as possible,” Jack said.