Precast Concrete

• Precast concrete is poured into a reusable mould or ‘form’, cured in a controlled environment, then lifted into place.
• Precast concrete can be poured on site and then lifted, or poured off site and transported to site before lifting.
• Precast concrete can be used for floors, walls, or roofs of any building. As with other concrete products, it has high embodied energy and can be used to provide thermal mass in passive design.
• Precast concrete is durable and requires minimal maintenance.
• Precasting can provide a fast building process. However, careful design and planning is needed to ensure the openings and other details meet the design needs.

Advantages of precast concrete

• speed of construction
• reliable supply — usually made in purpose-built factories and not affected by weather
• high-level performance in thermal comfort, durability, acoustic separation, and resistance to fire and flood
• inherent strength and structural capacity able to meet engineering design standards for housing
• high flexibility in form, shape and available finishes
• ability to incorporate services such as electrical and plumbing in precast elements
• minimal waste; low wastage rates on site and most waste in the factory is recycled
• safer sites from less clutter
• ability to incorporate waste materials such as fly ash
• ease of deconstruction, reuse or recycling.