Steel Services: Feature on Precast
If you’ve ever seen a giant concrete wall or the floor of a parking garage being dropped into place by a crane at a construction site, you were probably watching precast concrete in action.
Precast is exactly what it sounds like: concrete that’s poured and cured in molds at a manufacturing facility, rather than at the construction site.
Once those concrete pieces are fully hardened and ready to go, they’re transported to the job site and installed like massive building blocks – almost like assembling furniture that’s already been made (well, not including the headache of IKEA assembly!).
“These panels take the place of steel framing, as well as on-site concrete pours. The panels typically arrive with the exterior brick already installed and mechanical rough-ins preinstalled,” says Dillon Fickas, Steel Division Project Manager for O’Shea.
Precast in construction is skyrocketing in popularity today – but O’Shea has been a precast pioneer in the area, using this method for more than two decades. You can now find precast elements in everything from schools to hospitals around the central Illinois community.
Featured Projects
O’Shea’s first project that involved precast was St. John’s Hospital in 2008. In 2020, we took on two major precast projects at the same time: the downtown Springfield YMCA and a significant addition to Westside Christian Church. “The whole worship space at Westside is precast,” Dillon says.
We’ve used precast during builds and additions of multiple healthcare facilities, including the Springfield Clinic 900 Building. And several local schools opted for precast as they added to their athletic and academic facilities, including Williamsville, Lanphier and Springfield High School.
“Precast is also used for many storm shelters in the schools now,” Dillon noted.
Benefits
Why are our clients choosing precast?
“The speed of construction and stability of the material are the two main reasons our clients choose precast,” Dillon says.
Precast offers:
Faster installation and site work: Precast elements are manufactured off-site and delivered ready to install, reducing on-site labor and construction time. And site work (like excavation or foundations) and precast production can happen simultaneously.
“It’s 2 to 1 on speed when you compare precast versus traditional concrete going up,” Dillon says. “All you have to do is set it, weld it, caulk it, paint it, and you’re done.”
Consistent quality: Precast components are made in a factory setting with consistent curing conditions and quality control. The factory production enables more accurate dimensions and finishes compared to on-site casting.
Durability and strength: Precast concrete is often stronger and more durable than site-poured concrete. It performs well in harsh conditions, including freeze-thaw cycles and exposure to chemicals.
Reduced site disruption: This is key for many of our clients, especially healthcare and churches! Prefab means fewer workers on site and less noise, dust and disruption.
“It also cuts down on mechanicals because we already have the conduits in place, openings cut, façade on, and insulation inside,” Dillon says.
Cost efficiency: Remember that durability we mentioned? That leads to lower long-term maintenance and repair costs over the building’s life.
Flexibility during design planning: The good news is that precast plans can be modified for any size or project. However, that also means most of the work needs to be coordinated early – deciding you want to change an outlet location on site doesn’t work with precast!
“The Way of the Future”
Because we have years of experience with precast now, we’ve honed our expertise on this design method at O’Shea
“Especially with all of the new safety priorities coming into the schools and other buildings, this is the way of the future,” Dillon says.
Interested in learning more about precast options for your project? Give us a call.