CONCRETE

QUARTERLY/
SUMMER 06
LEADER / ROUND-UP

TEACHING A CONCRETE LESSON

Due to be published during the summer, a new report
from The Concrete Centre, ‘High Performance Schools:
Using Concrete Frames and Cladding’, outlines how
concrete’s free benefits of thermal efficiency, fire
resistance, sound insulation, minimum vibration and
robust finish facilitate cost-effective school building
construction and use. In addition to fast construction
programmes, concrete facilitates future flexibility and
adaptability. Basing school layouts on columns with no
beams, using the flat soffit of an in-situ concrete slab
provides totally flexible design solutions particularly for
Precast concrete is well suited to meet the demands of today’s future services changes. And with classroom sizes a key
construction industry, not only for faster, more productive issue, concrete crosswall solutions allow flexibility in
construction of assured quality, but also for the demands joining classrooms. Both normal and post-tensioned
that buildings, in the short- and long-term, are more concrete slabs can easily accommodate holes for new
environmentally sustainable and cost effective to use. services. The report will be available free from The
The benefits of precast concrete include those which are Concrete Centre, tel: 0700 4 500 500, or download from
inherent with all concrete construction: thermal efficiency, fire the publications library at www.concretecentre.com
resistance, sound insulation, enhanced vibration performance
and long-term durability. In addition, precasting of concrete
has its own specific advantages. Produced in a factory, the
product is weather-independent, offers 24-hour working
capabilities and attractive economies of scale and scope.
Speed, quality and efficiency are all specific attributes.
Initiatives such as ‘Rethinking Construction’ have focused
interest on the advantages of treating construction as an on-
site assembly of factory-manufactured components. This is
where precast concrete comes into its own. Columns, beams,
floors and stairs can all be manufactured in a controlled
factory environment. Installation on site is fast and provides
an early weatherproof envelope that allows faster access for
follow-on trades. There is also the possibility for whole rooms
to be cast as a module or pod.
In addition to offering practical structural solutions,
precast concrete offers an unrivalled range of finishes and
with a little thought it also offers bespoke looking buildings
using standardised components. And the material has good
environmental credentials. Precast production uses less energy
than either structural steel frame components or curtain
walling systems while offering inherent thermal efficiencies.
With such a range of benefits it is little wonder that the
potential of precast concrete is increasingly being realised.

Ian Cox
Chief executive,The Concrete Centre

Issue number 216.

For free downloadable archived copies of CQ
since 1947, visit: www.concretecentre.com/cq

2 CQ SUMMER 06
 MADRID FIRE REPORT PRAISES CONCRETE’S PERFORMANCE
A survey of the fire-damaged structure of the Windsor Tower, Madrid, concluded
that the concrete structure ‘performed extraordinarily well in a severe fire’. The
study, ‘Fire in the Windsor Building, Madrid: Survey of the Fire Resistance and
Residual Bearing Capacity of the Structure after the Fire’, was carried out by
Instituto Technico de Materiales y Construcciones. It concluded that the ‘need
for fireproofing of steel members to guarantee their performance in the event of
fire was reconfirmed’. The fire started on the 21st floor of the 32-storey building in
February 2005. It spread quickly due to a lack of fire stops between the curtain wall
facade and the concrete floor slabs. Designed and built in the 1970s, traditional
design methods were used. Extensive refurbishment was under way at the time of
the fire, including measures to bring the building’s fire standards up to date with
the installation of active fire prevention and fire-resistance measures. Structural
failure happened with the collapse of the steel perimeter columns and the floor
slabs collapsing as this edge support was taken away. The massive concrete
transfer slab at the 20th floor prevented further progressive failure. The Concrete
Centre is funding further research into the behaviour of the tower’s concrete
structure at the University of Edinburgh.

LIBESKIND TO GIVE 2006 LUBETKIN LECTURE

The 2006 BCA Berthold Lubetkin Memorial
Lecture, sponsored by The Concrete Centre, will
be given by Daniel Libeskind, on 9 November 2006
at the Kensington Conference and Events Centre,
London. Bookings will be accepted from July via MASONRY ALLIANCE FORMED
www.concretecentre.com/events A new organisation aimed at further
improving the quality, efficiency and
sustainability of masonry construction
has been established. In particular, the
alliance will demonstrate how masonry
homes can provide future-proofed
construction options against likely
climate and ecological changes. It will
also promote innovative development
and improved productivity, like the tin-
STUDENTS INVITED TO CONCRETE SUMMER SCHOOL bed masonry illustrated, and underline
The 2006 Graduate Summer School is being run by The Concrete Centre how masonry construction offers a
in collaboration with the University of Kingston School of Architecture and range of modern methods of
Department of Engineering, on 21 – 25 August, at Kingston, London. The construction. For further information
five-day residential workshop under the theme of Adventures Beyond visit www.modernmasonry.co.uk
Modernism will allow recently qualified architects and engineers to build
on the basics with sessions on materials, structures and surfaces.
These will extend to adventures which will explore the latest concrete
developments. Activities will include lectures by designers and specialists,
visits to notable London buildings, tests/demonstrations and ‘hands on’
construction with concrete. Contact The Concrete Centre on tel: 0700 4 500
500, email: seminars@concretecentre.com or go online to
www.concretecentre.com/events

CQ SUMMER 06 3
PRECAST CONCRETE / NORTHERN EUROPE

PRECAST CONCRETE
IS THE DOMINANT
FORM OF CLADDING
IN NORTHERN EUROPE
By David Bennett

Precast facades have the potential to be made very cheaply using high- it has been taken from the book The Art of Precast Concrete
volume, standardised components, or made bespoke and shaped by unique Architecture published by Birkhäuser and available through
profiles at very high cost. So it is not surprising to find it is standardised The Concrete Centre (www.concretecentre.com).
precast panels that are the dominant form of construction for housing schemes
and for medium- and low-rise commercial buildings in Northern Europe. SANDWICH PANEL CONSTRUCTION
This is the most structurally-efficient concrete building option
Precast concrete as an engineered and decorative material and the dominant method of constructing residential buildings in
offers wide-ranging possibilities of expression, application and Scandinavia. The sandwich panel is a storey-high precast unit that
performance. The choice and range of colours and raw materials, can be up to 8m long with an outer skin 60-80mm thick, a layer of
combined with surface texturing and profiling, gives scope for insulation and then a backing leaf of load-bearing or self-bearing
designing with freedom and imagination. It continues to be the precast concrete 90-140mm thick. (Self-bearing means it only
dominant form of construction in Northern Europe because the supports its own weight.) When it is load bearing it can support
precast units are made in large volumes to standardised profiles the structural floor and the facade above it and is the more
to maintain their price-competitiveness. efficient and popular choice of panel.
There are numerous examples of multi-storey apartment The structural floors are usually precast hollow-core
blocks in Scandinavia specified with structural load-bearing panels planks that are stitched to the top of the inner load-bearing panel.
of up to 12 tonnes that are fully insulated and architecturally Load-bearing sandwich panels offer many advantages – for
finished. There are also many examples of lightweight precast units example they are fast to erect; they eliminate the need for columns
like GRC (glass-reinforced concrete) that can dramatically reduce and wet trades; they are self-finished; and they are extremely
dead load and integrate precast with high-tech curtain wall competitively priced.
systems. The panels are easy to handle and do not require heavy The two skins of the precast panels are interconnected
craneage – they can be installed using a cradle system. They by steel ladder reinforcement which acts as wind and shear
are resilient and a popular choice in Austria and Germany. connection. The thermal bridging through these steel connectors
The economic advantages, the method of manufacture is minimal. The system has the advantage of providing structural
and the aesthetic quality of these two mass-produced facade integrity without placing any reliance on the insulation for load
options are highlighted in this review. Some of the research for transfer. It can be configured so that an elevation can have solid

4 CQ SUMMER 06
 2.

1.

1 & 2. Preparing glass-fibre mats for linear flatbed

casting by Reider in Salzburg

panels or long continuous spandrels, also know as band systems, The various techniques used to manufacture GRC
or slender rib systems with built-in columns for highly glazed products – manual and mechanised spray methods and linear
facades. The cassette modular system (see SID Building page 6) flat bed wet casting – enable the material to be formed in a wide
developed by precasters offers scope for even more architecturally variety of shapes and profiles. It can be moulded easily to suit
challenging designs using sandwich panel construction. Classical or Modern architectural expression using thin flat sheets,
curved pieces with embossing or angular surface profiles. Being
PRECAST LIGHT – GRC cement based with no metal reinforcement, it also has inherently
The trend in modern building construction towards lighter good durability and chemical resistances. It is non-combustible
weight ‘high-tech’ facades using glass curtain walling, resin-coated and produces no toxic smoke emissions and has high impact
aluminium and steel fascias has some advantages over the heavier strength. It is not susceptible to rust staining or corrosion, and
precast and reconstructed stone cladding unit. Typically, the skin can be used in combination with insulating material and sound
thicknesses of GRC panels is 13-20mm, making them as much as proofing. Constraining factors in performance are generally
80 per cent lighter than the corresponding precast concrete unit. due to its relatively large thermal and moisture movement and
Weight reduction of this magnitude offers substantial savings in low ductility.
transportation, structure, handling and site erection cost The need for GRC cladding to be flexibly mounted on
GRC is composed of a mortar mix of cement, selected the supporting structure to accommodate thermal and moisture is
crushed aggregates, sand, fillers, admixtures, water and alkali- therefore important. Many of the problems associated with GRC
resistant glass fibre strands. The glass fibre is typically 6-51mm long have resulted from the lack of mobility in fixing design, from errors
and 10-30 microns in diameter. It obtains its alkali resistance from of installations or as a result of introducing some other unintended
a coating applied over the glass strands in the manufacturing restraint to panel movement. Wherever possible, design GRC panels
process. For sprayed GRC it is recommended that 5 per cent of as independent skins to allow maximum freedom to shape, curve
fibre by weight of the total cement mortar should be contained in and profile panels. Good detailing of panel size; reducing
the mix, to optimise on the tensile strength. Combinations of fibre horizontal flat surface areas like window sills which may collect
lengths and the production process will ensure that adequate bond surface water and create high moisture gradients in the panel; and
strength develops between fibres and the cement matrix and avoiding panel shapes that wrap around a building corner causing
encourages a quasi-ductile failure by fracture of the fibres. large thermal movements, will ensure a longer service life.

CQ SUMMER 06 5
PRECAST CONCRETE / CASE STUDIES

3.

2.

1.

The following three examples feature precast sandwich panel construction: SID BUILDING
At Aarhus, Denmark, by 3XNielsen Architects.
RASTIPUISTO APARTMENT BLOCK Precast by Dalton Precast, Aarhus
At Rastila, Helsinki, Finland, by Helamaa and Pulkkinen Architects.
Precast by Parma Oy, Nummela When pigmented precast panels are specified, customers are
advised that colour consistency cannot be guaranteed. To achieve a
The ribbed profile finish to the lower panels has been achieved very consistent black concrete, the only option is to use single-sized
using a set retarder, and water jetting has removed the surface black aggregates and expose it on the surface. This can be done by
laitance to reveal the small aggregates. To form the ridged retarding the concrete set in the mould and then water jetting the
horizontal bands plastic strips are fixed to the film-faced surface to remove the cement paste to expose the coarse aggregates.
plywood in the moulds. Chemical retarder was brush-applied The panels on the SID Building were cast in five sizes –
to the formwork and the profiled plastic strips before the concrete they were all 3.5m high, and either 1.2m, 1.5m, 1.8m, 2.2m or
was cast. (For more on precast finishing, see pages 14-15.) 2.7m wide. Special corner units were made which formed part
For the upper levels of the building, brick slips were of the returns for both elevations to avoid a vertical joint line
placed carefully in the mould between the timber battens that form at the edge, which the architect felt would not be as good. The
the recessed mortar joints. When the concrete panel was removed edge was given a 10 x 10mm rebate to emphasise the corner line.
from the mould it was transported to the water jetting area where
it was cleaned under high pressure to remove all the retarder and MUSTAKIVI SCHOOL & COMMUNITY CENTRE
the unset cement paste, revealing the fine aggregate finish. Using At Vuosaari, Helsinki, Finland, by Ark-House Architects. Precast
high pressure washing avoids any cement fines streaking over the by Rajaville Precast Company, Oulu
surface and leaving a dry, crusty film.
In the production of the sandwich panel, the exterior The panels on the exterior of the school building have an outer
panel is compacted by an integrated shock-compacter which is skin 75mm thick, then 145mm of insulation and a 160mm inner
built into the tilting table mould. The interior load-bearing skin of load-bearing concrete. To produce the stain effect of
element is compacted with a poker vibrator. Demoulding takes terracotta and green on the panels, a white concrete panel was cast
12-14 hours. on the outer skin and allowed to harden. Iron oxide chemical stain

6 CQ SUMMER 06
 5.

1. Rastipuisto Apartment block

2. SID building
4. 3. Mustakivi School & Community Centre
4. Stadtvilla Apartments
5. Private house

in a dilute hydrochloric acid solution was applied over the surface the grey concrete of the frame. This was overcoated with a
for the brown-red colour and copper sulphate solution for the reinforced backing mix which contained chopped fibres and
green effect. The metallic irons react with the calcium hydroxides was added at a dosage of 2 per cent of the concrete volume.
of lime in the concrete to create the colour on the surface. This The backing mix was applied in five layers each 5mm thick and
finish will appear streaky because of the direction of brushing compacted by rolling to build up the panel thickness of 30mm.
and patination owing to the varying absorbency of the surface.
For the white panels, white cement was used, plus white PRIVATE HOUSE
limestone fines and whitish sand; there were no pigments. For the At Ulrichsberg, Austria, by Habringer-Landerl Architects, Linz.
black panels, grey concrete was used with black rock fines, 3 per GRC by Rieder, Salzburg
cent black pigment and special black 0-8mm gabro aggregates.
The surface set was lightly retarded and the water jetted to expose This private house is clad in thin sheets of smooth, colour-stable
the black aggregates to ensure colour consistency. GRC panels. Rieder has been manufacturing GRC panels for
over 20 years and recently invested in sophisticated automatic
The following two projects illustrate the use of GRC panels: production methods for making 13mm flat sheets of GRC of
exceptional quality using a continuous fibre strand feed and wet
STADTVILLA APARTMENTS casting on a moving metal mould bed. The mould bed is 1,250mm
At UnterneuStadt, Kassel, Germany, by Alexander Reichel Architects wide which fixes the sheet width, but it can be as long as 5.3m.
The external face was cast face down on a layer of
The in-situ concrete load-bearing structure was clad with insulated stretched polythene placed on the metal bed to give a very smooth
GRC elements, the GRC just 30mm thick to prevent thermal marble-like finish to the surface. Each 6.5mm layer of concrete
bridging. Each precast component was coated with a hydrophobic is poured through grouting tubes with the glass fibre strand then
fluid to produce a consistent, water-repellent outer surface. stretched over the top and chopped to size to sink into the wet
This gave the surface a ‘milky’ two-toned shade. concrete. The wet layer is lightly rolled by the machine before
The GRC panels were made by hand-spraying the 6.5mm backing layer is placed in exactly the same way.
the concrete mix and the chopped fibres into the moulds.
The unreinforced face mix of 5mm was colour matched to David Bennett is the founder of David Bennett Associates

CQ SUMMER 06 7
PRECAST CONCRETE / SUSTAINABILITY

THE POTENTIAL OF
PRECAST CONCRETE’S
FABRIC ENERGY STORAGE
IS BEING REALISED FOR
NEW CONSTRUCTION
By Andrew Minson

Precast concrete, already widely recognised for its fast construction and The use of FES significantly increases a building’s
buildability benefits, is now winning the sustainability arguments as well. sustainability. The CO2 emission level from the lifetime operation
As with in situ concrete, precast concrete has a wide range of benefits that of a building is far higher than that of the embodied CO2 of its
makes it well suited to sustainable construction compared with other construction materials. Indeed, over 50 per cent of the UK’s carbon
materials: high thermal efficiency and fabric energy storage (FES); fire emissions results from the operational use of buildings. So reducing
resistance; sound insulation; minimum vibration; long life; use of recycled raw a building’s operational heating and air conditioning requirements
materials, including industry by-product streams; local sourcing and transport. reduces its real environmental impact. Over its full life cycle, a
lightweight framed building will result in higher CO2 emissions
FABRIC ENERGY STORAGE than a heavyweight framed building. The buildings designed
Of these benefits, FES is increasingly embraced by forward- using FES also appear to be free of sick building syndrome.
thinking clients and designers. Here, concrete stores and releases
heat to stabilise the internal temperature of a structure, thereby CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS
reducing the need for heating and air conditioning. Increasingly, The other inherent benefits of fire resistance, sound insulation,
the potential of precast concrete’s FES is being realised for new minimum vibration and long life mean that precast concrete
construction. Developers report capital costs reduced by 5-20 reduces the need for additional protective coatings, preservative
per cent due to the reduction or removal of air conditioning treatments and vibration-damper systems. All of this significantly
and suspended ceilings. Users report reduced operational costs. reduces the environmental impact of precast concrete. As does the
There are two types of FES: passive and active. With fact that precast concrete is UK sourced. There is growing concern
passive FES, exposed soffits use natural or assisted ventilation over the ‘air miles’ CO2 impact of transportation. Timber and the
together with night-time purging to cool the building space. iron ore for steel often travel many thousands of miles.
Active FES has controllable systems of air ducted through plenums Sustainability benefits are not restricted to frames. Precast
or floors. Tests show that they emit 50 per cent less CO2 than air paving can also actively improve the environment by reducing the
conditioning. Furthermore, the limited fabric energy storage of level of pollution caused by nitrogen oxides (NOx). Developed by
lightweight frame structures offers just 6-10W/m2 of cooling Mitsubishi in Japan, precast paving treated with titanium dioxide
compared with 15-20W/m2 for passive concrete FES and has been shown to significantly lower pollution by absorbing NOx.
25-35W/m2 and beyond for active concrete FES. Cement additives based on titanium dioxide also provide a

8 CQ SUMMER 06
 1. Precast for Canon HQ

2. Brighton Library by Bennetts Associates

concrete finish that is self-cleaning. The material reacts with • identify the economic, social and environmental impacts,
sunlight and rain to clean off airborne spores and pollution. both good and bad, of the precast sector;
It has been successfully used by Richard Meier for the Dives • establish the precast industry’s awareness of the opportunities
in Misericordia white concrete church in Rome. and threats related to sustainable development; and
• establish objectives, targets and indicators for future improvement.
MORE FROM LESS The project is currently examining the industry’s
The precast industry is making significant progress towards placing sustainability priorities, and the action it needs to take. Further
sustainability high up the construction agenda. It has implemented details can be found on www.sustainableprecast.com
a ‘more from less’ programme to examine the sustainability issues British Precast has been working with the British Cement
for the precast sector and how best to tackle those issues. Association on a joint approach to the sustainability of cement and
To this end, the sector has established sustainability concrete. The role of cement in improving the sustainability profile
and health and safety committees to provide a pan-industry of precast concrete is important. Furthermore, precast
approach to sustainability; a Concrete Targets Award scheme to manufacturers are reporting a significant move towards
improve health and safety; and Best Practice Awards to recognise recycled aggregates and industrial by-products.
and promote excellence among the membership of British Precast So in addition to the inherent benefits of precast concrete
in the areas of innovation, health and safety and the environment. that offer the potential to significantly reduce the environmental
The 2005 awards, sponsored by The Concrete Centre, were given impact of a building’s operation, the industry is actively seeking
to a range of simple and cost-effective solutions that reduced water ways to reduce the energy and materials used to manufacture the
consumption, eliminated a hazardous waste stream previously sent product. This, together with improved health and safety; increased
to landfill, implemented energy-saving programmes and overall manufacture and construction efficiency; and the development and
waste-reduction programmes. Details of all the 2005 award entries implementation of an industry-agreed sustainability strategy, mean
and winners can be found at www.britishprecast.org that precast concrete is able to provide a construction solution that
In addition, British Precast is working on a four-year truly offers ‘more from less’.
research project with Loughborough University to develop a
sector-wide approach to sustainability. The Sector Sustainability Andrew Minson is head of framed buildings at The Concrete Centre
Strategy project will:

CQ SUMMER 06 9
PRECAST CONCRETE / HANOVER QUAY

APARTMENT
DESIGN IS IDEALLY 2.

SUITED TO PRECAST
CONSTRUCTION
By Susan Dawson

1 & 2. Precast wall panels

off and on site
1.

It’s hard to imagine a city where house prices are higher than in precast concrete panels,’ explains the architect. ‘In Dublin, where
London, but this is the case in Dublin, a consequence of economic labour is scarce and time is at a premium, it’s the way to go.’
boom, shortage of old housing stock and the lack of a skilled However, this is the first time that OMP has used
construction workforce. To satisfy demand, apartment blocks precast concrete insulated sandwich panels, produced by Techrete,
are now beginning to rise on brownfield sites such as the former a manufacturer based in Ireland and the UK, with a head office at
docklands on the banks of the River Liffey. To solve the labour- Howth, just outside Dublin. The Techrete insulated sandwich panels
shortage problem many of them are built with factory-made, comprise an outer leaf, a layer of insulation and a backing leaf of
precast concrete components. The cellular and repetitive nature plain grey concrete. They are cast as one. The insulation, installed
of apartment block design is ideally suited to precast construction. under controlled factory conditions, is well protected by the
Sound reduction at party walls is easy to achieve and the solidity concrete. Panels have a range of options: the outer leaf of precast
of precast concrete recalls traditional concepts of enclosure. concrete is available with a wide choice of stone-like finishes or
One of the largest docklands developments, designed applied facings such as stone, brick or terracotta. Panels can be
by O’Mahony Pike Architects (OMP), is Hanover Quay. The site, integrated into the building fabric as part of a load-bearing
once a gasworks, stretches from the Liffey quayside to the banks structure to support either precast or cast-in situ floor slabs.
of the Grand Canal dock. It is a mixed-use development, 13 blocks A combination of Techrete’s single-layer precast-concrete
of four to eight storeys accommodating 292 one- to three-bedroom panels and, on the gable walls, precast-concrete insulated sandwich
apartments (including affordable apartments) with basement car panels, were used at Hanover Quay. The sandwich panels have
parks, a crèche, retail units, a pub and restaurant. The blocks a 150mm load-bearing structural inner leaf connected to a 75mm
looking directly on to the river contain two lower floors of office/ outer leaf with stainless steel wind/shear tie connectors, with a
retail units and upper floors of apartments with large balconies, cavity former, 75mm of mineral-fibre insulation and a vapour
some of which are ‘winter gardens’ with glazed sliding screens. barrier between. The outer leaf is separated from the inner leaf by
The apartment blocks are a composite structure of load- the connectors; it is free to expand and contract and is not intended
bearing precast concrete external wall panels, precast concrete to support any load. (See Working Detail, pages 12-13.)
internal wall panels and precast concrete floor slabs. On the top Both single-leaf and sandwich panels were produced by
floors the external precast panels have been extended to create a Techrete with an identical mix. The main panels are a light buff
parapet. ‘This must be the sixth or seventh job where we have used reconstructed stone with an acid-etched finish. Stair core and

10 CQ SUMMER 06
 3. Two of the 13 blocks that comprise the mixed-use Hanover Quay

balcony edge panels are of dark charcoal grey reconstructed

stone with an acid-etched finish. The panels incorporate window Credits
openings and circular apertures for ventilation extract from the
apartments. Damp-proof coursings around window openings Architect
were pre-fixed to the panel at the Techrete factory. O’Mahony Pike Architects
The outer leaf of each sandwich panel extends at Contractor
the top above the floor junction to co-ordinate the live joints John Sisk and Son
at the external face with the finished floor level. The outer leaf Load-bearing precast
is watertight, with double seals at joints. There is a vapour control concrete insulated
layer behind the insulation. Calculations established that the sandwich panels
dew point could not occur within the cavity. Each panel has Techrete
a horizontal dummy joint aligning with the window head to Load-bearing precast
reduce the scale of the panelled facade. single-leaf concrete
Sandwich panels offer many advantages. They provide panels
a strong, durable, energy-efficient, fire-resistant cladding system. Techrete
And all aspects of the production process are carried out in a
factory, ensuring the highest quality possible. Hanover Quay
shows how a fully integrated structure and skin sandwich panel
system, where load-bearing wall panels provide both structural
support and external finish, speeds up construction and minimises
on-site labour costs.

CQ SUMMER 06 11
WORKING DETAILS / HANOVER QUAY

PRECAST CONCRETE
GABLE WALLS

The construction sequence

of a typical gable wall was:
• a row of 3m-high precast
concrete insulated sandwich
panels was installed by crane.
(At ground floor level the load-
bearing inner leaf of each panel
rests on a cast in-situ concrete
boot beam);
• a series of precast floor slabs
(2.4m or 1,200mm wide and 8-
10m span) was craned in, with
edges bearing on the 150mm
load-bearing inner leaf of the
insulated sandwich panels. The
8mm-diameter reinforcing bars
projecting from the tops of the
precast panels were bent over
and covered with structural
screed topping to stitch the
panel to the floor slab;
• a firestop and dpc were fixed
in the cavity and the dpc was
dressed down;
• the upper precast concrete
insulated sandwich panels were
craned in so each 150mm inner
leaf would rest on the screed,
exactly above the inner leaf.
The pre-fixed, threaded bolts
projecting from the inner leaf of
the panel below were fixed into
shoes cast in the inner leaf of
the panel above; this formed the
panel-to-panel connection; and
• the sequence was repeated.
Because the precast
elements could be craned in,
the erection sequence was
speedy and an early
weatherproof enclosure was
created to let following trades
install plasterboard wall finishes,
the underfloor heating pipes in
the screed and the composite
timber/aluminium windows.
By Susan Dawson

12 CQ SUMMER 06
CQ SUMMER 06 13
PRECAST CONCRETE / FINISHES

1.

WITH SELF FINISHES,

THE PRECASTER HAS
A LIBRARY OF SAMPLES
By Stephen Maddalena

When it comes to concrete, the precast cladding industry is now able to However, not all surfaces are suitable for such treatment.
produce virtually any finish and effect called for by architects. Essentially, Vertical cast surfaces may have blow holes, which need to be filled
precast cladding panels to BS 8297 have two generic types of surface finish with a paste of cement and fine aggregate in the same proportions
that, combined with the facility to design robust 3D shapes and profiles, as the design mix of the main body of the panel. A final acid etch
offer the widest choice of facade design and construction to the architect. can then produce a consistent surface. Casting face down or
These generic types are ‘self finishes’, where the concrete surface is on view, vertically will produce subtle differences in the finished surface.
and ‘applied finishes’, where other materials are applied to and supported Coarser textured surfaces can be obtained by applying a
by the precast concrete. retarder to the surface of the mould. After demoulding, the retarded
surface is brushed and washed to expose the main aggregate.
SELF FINISHES Surfaces cast face up do not require a retarder; instead, the surface
Self finishes exploit the ability of the precast manufacturer to is sprayed with a fine water jet to expose the main aggregate;
design concrete mixes by selecting the cement (white or grey) and • rubbing. Surface laitance may be removed with a hand stone
the aggregate with the option of adding a range of stable purpose- or orbital sander;
made pigments. Exposed surfaces are generally textured to produce • grit blasting. This uses air or water as the propellant and various
a range of effects, typically: acid etching/surface retarding; rubbing; grades of fineness/coarseness of grit, which will determine the
grit blasting; bush hammering; and grinding and polishing. depth of aggregate exposure. The effect is similar to acid etching
False joints and other profiles may be formed by timber but, being more vigorous, the depth of exposure of the aggregate
ribs in the mould. This gives a natural effect on acid-etched panels is greater. In addition, the aggregates are partially abraded;
and improves weathering properties. Rubber mould liners can • bush hammering. More vigorous than grit blasting, this involves
produce many textures and profiles. Techniques used are: roughening the panel surface using a mechanical pneumatic/
• acid etching and surface retarding. Etching with dilute electric hand-held machine equipped with a variety of tools from
hydrochloric acid removes surface laitence to expose the sand needles to various chisel star-points. The finish produced is visibly
and tips of the main aggregate in the mix, producing a stone-like more aggressive owing to the exposure and shattering of the
texture. The depth of exposure can be varied to produce from a surface of the main aggregate;
relatively fine texture to a deeper etch giving more pronounced • grinding and polishing. Although expensive and time-consuming,
exposure of the aggregate. this can produce spectacular results. Grinding machines section the

14 CQ SUMMER 06
 4.

2.

3.

1. Rubbed and acid-etched concrete Cornish finish

2. Acid-etched concrete Portland finish – cast from
a textured form liner
3. Exposed aggregate-finished concrete, cast face
up using Cotswold gravel with white cement
4. Ground and polished concrete, cast using Cornish
granite aggregate with white cement

aggregate. Final polish varies according to the hardness of the alternate rows of dowels are reversed in angle. A flexible grommet
aggregate, ranging from a honed effect to a high polish. is fitted to the dowel at the stone face and the rear face is treated
with a de-bonding agent. These enable the stone to move relative
APPLIED FINISHES to the backing concrete panel to accommodate thermal movement.
Applied finishes include bricks, brick slips, tiles, terracotta, slate, Stone-to-stone joints are a minimum of 5mm wide (as BS
granite or limestone – preassembled in the mould before casting. 8298:1994, Table 10) and are grout-sealed in the mould with
This can realistically replace on-site masonry-laying. waterproof tape to prevent penetration by the backing concrete.
With bricks, a machine-made brick with three perforation
holes is typically used. To produce a dovetail key, these bricks are SAMPLES AND MOCK-UPS
cut longitudinally on the centre line and laid to a grid in the With self finishes, the precaster will have a library of samples,
mould. Special bricks are cut or formed for different shapes and which can be the starting point for developing a unique finish.
keys. Grout seal strips are inserted into the brick joints and the A panel at least 1m2 should be cast to production standards, and
concrete is cast. Panels are finished by removing the strips and its casting must replicate actual manufacturing conditions. For
gun-pointing the joints with a colour-matched proprietary mortar. applied finishes, an approved sample of the stone, etc, must be
Tiles and brick slips are treated similarly, cast face-down in a permanently displayed in the factory.
mould in a grid of timber strips or on a rubber mat with a grid. On large contracts, a mock-up enables finishes and
Proprietary terracotta cladding tiles with extrusion details to be viewed at full scale. The viewing distance of finished
holes are split to give very effective bonding grooves on the units should ideally be not less than 3m. On larger projects, and
inside surface. The terracotta tiles are set in a gridded mould and, particularly for complex, tight-tolerance units, a full-scale
when cast with open joints, the precast panel acts as a rainscreen. premanufacture prototype should be considered. Generally,
Typical stone facings used are granite, limestone and slate. the architect should inspect regularly during manufacturing.
Hard stone such as granite is applied as a veneer at least 30mm Varying conditions of lighting and weather, and time
thick, while other stones such as Portland limestone are applied since casting, will cause different colour shading. Time must
no thinner than 50mm. be allowed for the units to mature to a consistent appearance.
Stone panels are drilled in the back for bonding in 60mm
stainless steel dowels. These are set at 60° to the stone face and Stephen Maddalena is chairman of the Architectural Cladding Association

CQ SUMMER 06 15
 2.

1. Gold Seal – Alicia by Peter Weigl

1. 2. Gold Seal – Uphelia by Peter Weigl

WEIGL’S CONCRETE ART BLOSSOMS

Contemporary artist Petr Weigl recently unveiled his latest concrete work
at the Air Gallery, Mayfair, London. The exhibition, sponsored by Lafarge,
Castle Cement, Marshalls and The Concrete Centre, saw the launch of his
new Gold Seal range. CONTACT DETAILS:
The Gold Seal range mirrors the delicacy and natural beauty of Sandy Porter
flowers. Weigl hand sculpts and inserts floral designs into concrete and The Concrete Centre
gilds them with gold and precious stones. The result is a delicacy of touch Riverside House
that contrasts with the robustness of concrete. 4 Meadows Business Park
In addition to Gold Seal, Weigl exhibited works from his Fossil Station Approach
and Contour series. Here, concrete is transformed from a construction Blackwater
material to a polished, marble-like medium that depicts an encapsulated Camberley
evolutionary process or geographical moment in time. GU17 9AB
Weigl’s work challenges the monolithic two-dimensionality T: 01276 606800
of concrete. Instead, it examines the three-dimensional and tactile E: sporter@concretecentre.com
potential of concrete by taking a manufactured construction material
back to its fundamental essence and then presenting it as a new entity The Concrete Centre
that resembles marble with an organic twist. The pieces are created in a T: 0700 4 500 500
mould. The final results are totally dependent on the precise timing of each E: enquiries@concretecentre.com
stage of the process. This ensures the uniqueness of each piece which is www.concretecentre.com
finished with the Petr Weigl wax seal of authenticity.

For further information visit: www.petrweigl.com

16 CQ SUMMER 06