Precast Concrete

Cost Solution

Dr. Hussam Ali Mohammed

PhD Structural Engineering
A variety of cost calculations are required on
everyy p project
j to determine what design g
approaches will generate the most advantages and
allow budgets to be allocated most efficiently.
Initial, in-ground costs are the most obvious
expenses but hidden and longer-term
expenses, longer term costs are
becoming more significant as owners and
d i
designers study
d the
h budget
b d i
impact off various
i
specification choices.
The key to finding the most efficient design is to
realize that every system and decision impacts
others. The ggoal is to ensure all pproducts and
systems work together without creating
redundancy or inefficiencies.
inefficiencies
Spending more of the budget to add insulation and
other energygy efficiencies,, for instance,, mayy allow the
installation of smaller HVAC equipment that will
save equipment expenditures.
expenditures Using a design and
materials that enclose the building quickly avoids
winter slow downs and gets crews inside quicker, quicker
bringing the project on-line faster so revenues can
b generated
be d quicker
k .
Maintenance needs throughout
g the building'sg life
also must be considered. These expenses come from
the operating budget rather than the construction
budget, so they sometimes have not been
considered when evaluating the building
building'ss cost
.
Durability, such that a building does not need to
h
have i exterior
its i refurbished
f bi h d or possibly
ibl replaced
l d ini
20 years, also has become more of a consideration.
The entire life-cycle costs of a project are being
determined,, and each material choice must jjustifyy
its value today, tomorrow and many years from
now.
now
Precast concrete structural and architectural
systems help save cost in a variety of ways, from the
design phases through construction and throughout
the building's service life.
Budget Management of In
In-Ground
Ground
Costs
Precast concrete components provide a variety of
savings
g to a p project
j in waysy that are not always
y
considered when looking at upfront costing versus
other materials,
materials including masonry block and
curtain wall.These savings include:
 1. Speed
p
Precast concrete components provide a variety of
ways to speed the construction process, from design
through fabrication and erection. These efficiencies
can shave as much as one third of the time needed
for construction, meeting tight deadlines and
generating
ti revenues quicker.
i k Ti
Time can beb saved d
through:
•The design process. It takes less time to design
a precast concrete building
b ld than
h one built
b l off
masonry, due to the lessened detail required in
precast's panelized system and the ability to quickly
replicate
p both structural and architectural
components.
•The fabrication process.
process Precast components
can be fabricated while permitting and foundation
workk progress, so they
th are readyd tot begin
b i erection
ti
as soon as foundations are complete. As a single-
source supplier for a large portion of the structural
y
system, pprecasters help
p maintain the critical-path
p
scheduling.
•The
Th erection ti process. Foundations
F d ti can beb
placed one day and precast load-bearing panels or
structural framing can be erected as soon as the
foundations have cured sufficiently.y Wall ppanels,
double tees and hollow-core planking also erect
quickly, often cutting weeks or months from the
schedule. This speed allows construction to get into
the dry quicker.
quicker The fast enclosure also lessens
concern for weather or material damage during
erection,
i reducing
d i the h contractor's
' risks
i k and
d costs.
•The
Th fi i hi
finishing process. Precast
P t concrete t
insulated sandwich panels create a finished interior
wall that avoids the time and cost of furring and
y g Architectural p
drywalling. panels can have a varietyy of
colors and textures cast into them, including several
in one panel, eliminating the need to field
field-set
set trim
pieces or paint the facade after the structure is
built.
built
2. Design Economy
The custom, sculptured designs that are possible
with pprecast concrete mayy be achieved within a
limited budget by selecting economical aggregates
and textures combined with effective production
and erection procedures. The key factors in
designing economically with architectural precast
are:
•Repetition. By reusing the same dimensions for
components the same forms can be used,
components, used
minimizing the total number needed and the
changes
h b
between castings.
•Averageg piece size. Precast ppricingg is
p
determined primarily by the size of the pieces and
piece repetition.
repetition Pricing depends more on the
number of pieces than the size of the project. Labor
functions drive pricing more than material cost,
cost and
each new piece of a different size or shape drives
up that
h cost.
•Material Efficiency. Precast concrete saves
money by replicating the look of more expensive
materials, such as natural stone (granite, marble,
li
limestone,
t sandstone
dt or slate).
l t ) Veneers
V off these
th
materials also can be cast into the face of the
precast components, saving the expense of full
thickness p pieces. Brick-faced pprecast also
eliminates labor costs and speeds up construction.
•Construction Efficiency. Because precast
components are fabricated under factory-
controlled conditions at a pplant, harsh winter
weather does not impact the production schedule
or product quality. This approach means they can
be erected through the winter months to meet a
tight schedule,
schedule cutting overhead costs and opening
the building for occupancy faster.
•Hidden Costs. Precast concrete’s speed of
construction can reduce the construction
timeframe by several months. This results in less
time to carry financial bonds, lower contractor
overhead costs and risk,
risk elimination of expenses
for non-precast related equipment and reduced
subcontractor
b t t costs t by
b giving
i i more responsibility
ibilit
to a single-source supplier.
Life Cycle
y Costs
Precast concrete provides low on-going costs for
maintenance repair and other needs that add
maintenance,
material and labor costs. Generally, precast concrete
components, even those h exposed
d to weather,
h
require little maintenance. A regular inspection and
routine recaulking of cladding panels every 15 to 20
yyears is all that mayy typically
yp y be required.
q
Panels can be washed with strong chemicals and
cleaners without losing their color, and UV rays will
not cause them to fade,
fade as will happen with paint.
paint
Parking
P ki structures,
t t more than
th any otherth building
b ildi
type, require routine maintenance. The severity of
the wear and exposure demands will depend on
the structure’s location, environmental conditions
and maintenance schedule. Based on national
surveys, precast concrete parking structures
provide superior resistance to deterioration.
Components produced by PCI-certified
PCI certified plants in
particular use durable concrete mixes with
specialty
i l curing
i can be
b createdd that
h cannot be b
achieved in the field.
In general, there are three types of maintenance:
p g, for ggeneral upkeep;
housekeeping, p p; ppreventive
maintenance, with periodic checkups and cleaning
of components; and structural repairs,
repairs due
to spalling, cracking or other wear issues. All of
th
these are minimized
i i i d with
ith the
th use off precastt
concrete components.
References:
1. PCI Mid-Atlantic - http://www.mapaprecast.org
2. Hussam Ali Mohammed, "Experimental and Nonlinear Analysis of Non-
Prismatic Double Tee Prestressed Concrete Beams"
Beams , PhD Thesis
Thesis, Baghdad
University, 2005.
3. Hussam Ali Mohammed, "Nonlinear Analysis of Flanged Reinforced Concrete
Beams Using Three
Three-Dimensional
Dimensional Finite Element Model
Model",, MSc Thesis, Saddam
University, 2000.
4. Hussam Ali Mohammed, Ihsan A. Shaarbaf, Khild S. Mahmod, " Finite Element
y of Prestressed Concrete Double Tee Beams",, Journal of Babylon
Analysis y
University for Engineering Science, Vol.12, No.5, 2006.
5. Hussam Ali Mohammed, "Behavior of Prestressed Concrete Non-Prismatic
Double Tee Beams", Journal of kerbala University, Vol.8, No.1, 2010.
6. Hussam Ali Mohammed, "Finite Element Analysis of Non-Prismatic Prestressed
Concrete Double Tee Beams" Journal of Kerbala University, Vol.8, No.1, 2010.
7. Hussam Ali Mohammed, "The Effect of Web Opening on Prestressed Concrete
Double Tee Beams under Flexure", The Second Annual Scientific Conference
of the College of Engineering /Babylon University, Iraq, 24-25 March 2010.
8. Hussam Ali Mohammed, " Analysis and Design of Precast Concrete
St t
Structures”,
” B
Bookk , ISBN
ISBN: 978-9922-20-146-7,
978 9922 20 146 7 2018.
2018
9. Hussam Ali Mohammed, " Analysis and Design of Prestressed Concrete
Structures”, Book , ISBN: 978-9922-20-145-0, 2018.