Precast façade elements for housing projects. Karnataka, India.

Image is for some residential in construction, whose façade cladding is traditional brick laying coated with plaster mortar and painted...

...but the exposed structure, on the left, is a stone-like precast whole corner element, same as that of the ground, yet to be mounted.

The façade project for a series of buildings like this one was to compose traditional masonry together with precast corners and window pannels. That precast was intended granite-like, as cast stone or architectural concrete.

The most practical cladding sequence required to mount the precast elements onto the structure first, so masonry can fill around, way easier.

This way makes structural dimensions tolerance to be higher than that of a 100% precast cladding project, giving room to architects for more freedom to conceive.

However, in many cases, when it comes to the details design for precast, best for them is to rely on engineers advise.

The concrete for this precast was white cement based, slightly mass colored, together with white to beige agreggates.

Exposed surfaces were textured by manual bush-hammering, same treatment common to most natural stones.

Moulds were negatives of GFR polyester, after a wood model for each type of element.

Architectonic Concrete, S.L. assisted the whole precast process untill the first elements where fixed to the structures: from the architect's design fase to the precaster manufacturing of moulds and finished elements, plus qualify the key-worker assembly teams, on the site.

Slabs precast on site, for street channeling closure. Karnataka, India.

Architectonic Concrete, S.L. performed tecnical assessment to all the teams involved in these works, untill these first precast slabs were placed:
to the architects while in design fase, moulds-making process, precast workers and engineers on the site... all local, in northern Karnataka state for a cement manufacturing group, who was the whole task promoter.

First image shows weighting for a precise dossage of pigments and fluidifier.

Mastering self-compacting concrete allows for good precast in the very same erection site, thus eliminating factory and cost of carriage for the terminated elements.

Architect wished a terracotta color for the slabs, which we decided to integrate on the fresh mix, to obtain total color durability under the strong solar exposure in the long run.

Then color was set by mixing white cement dry with 3% w.c. iron oxides, which are fully compatible with the fluidifiers.

Though our concrete mixer was elementary, it sufficed perfectly, since most important is the dossage precision of the fresh mix, speciallly the fillers, and over all: the water ammount.

Slabs demould after 24 hours, only. That concrete is able for 4 Mpa. bending resistance, at that time.

Besides, elevation fixings are embeded in the material, and conected to its inner iron bar reinforcement.

Slabs surface is that of the moulds negative, with slotted diagonals to avoid slipery, when wet.

Right after demould slabs turn up side and place directly in their intended location, for street sidewalk while as a registrable closure of the services gallery to the whole residential urbanization.

This project was inspired by our experience with a similar project of Barcelona (Spain), some 20 years ago, though with a different aesthetics, more granite-like, but similar conception and processes.

Commercial buildings. Valencia, Spain.

This cladding was conceived after the presentation we did to the promoter and the architects of the main project, about the architectural concrete possibilities, white cement based.

As a consequence of that previous work, detail project was born quite optimal allready, taking cost, quality and execution schedule, into account as well.

Design included a moulded strip to fix external air cond. devices on it. White color was to be that of cement and selected agreggates, and the exposed surface of the pannels slightly textured by acid.

To make the most of the site own elevation means, pannels weight was limited to around 2 tones each.

A nicer looking modulation of precast façades benefit from L-shaped pannels to solve the corners cladding. So, "L" elements were precasted to match carefully those areas.

All the cladding fixings to the structure are bolted, providing the needed security and precision, the average work progress was of 8 or 9 pannels / journey (8h).

In this image, next to the silo, a previous prototype module can be seen, complete with window frames and glasses.

When it comes to an industrialized constructive solution, we insist allways in the importance of making a prototype or mock-up, thus helping better all the parties agree on the details for the whole future series.

Architectonic Concrete S.L. helped to agglomerate the whole cladding project and its execution, throughout the main concerned stakeholders of it.

Universitat de València building. Spain.

Most architectural concrete solutions use to be conceived by the same architect who authors the whole project. However, even the most familiar with industrialization need to be assisted by other specialists to define precast elements with proper detail and sound production costs.

Architectonic Concrete, S.L, assisted the architect for this particular precast project and helped the most suitable precaster for the achievement.

The natural trend for precasters is to solve the explode and modulation of façades, with elements the most extensive the better, that usually reducing cost of the fixing systems and time of assembly, generally that involving lesser manpower required, in the erection site too.
Very volumetric precast of big size, as this case is, require to master moulds technology to a great extend. Moulds quality is a must for elements like these, with non co-planar exposed surfaces, bevels, etc...

This architectural sollution is mainly for sunlight breaking, as a kind of curtain-wall, detached in front of the glass cladding, to drive lower sunlight of winter, according to building's lattitude 40º North.

The assembly ratio was an average of 8 to 9 elements /day fully anchored, by a team of three assemblers plus the crane operator.

All anchors are bolted, Hilti and Halfen-like. Concrete for the elements is white cement based, white aggregates, reinforced according to the highest loads for the elements to sustain: while in demoulding phase.

Textured building's façade. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Spain.

This residential building is cladded with mass-colored architectural concrete pannels, by proper dosage of three different "black" tones, to resemble basalt-like.

The texture for the exposed surface was obtained by flexible skins, which can be cutted as for the intended pannel sizes, so avoiding fake joints.

Precast façade claddings allways require a detailed project for the elements explode, identifying type and series of elements and intended location for each. Precasters can help architects while in that desing phase, too.

Architectonic Concrete S.L. assisted the project phase of the architect for this building, and to the precaster for moulds, prototypes and serial manufacturing of this architectural concrete.

Touristic residentials, bungalows. Cayo Largo, Cuba.

Architectonic Concrete S.L, supplied engineering assistance for three years to the cuban corp. Caribbean Sodeal,S.A, on complete precast solutions.

Sometimes these solutions involved difficult logistics, as in this case: a final erection of the precast pieces in the Cayo Largo del Sur Island, including foundation elements, by ship from the main island.

This image shows the structural pannels system.

Teracotta-like and wooden color comes from different dosages of yellow, red and black pigments, grey cement based mix.

The texture for the exposed surface of the pannels is that of wooden tabs with natural grain patterns. That texturing was achieved by moulds with flexible framed skins.

The dimmensions of precast beams and pannels reached full heights and lengths between storeys and columns that, together with the logistics and handling constrains, made a maximum around 2 ton. weight for the elements.

The key issue for the quality achieved in this industriallized construction project was the previous many hours commited in the technical office task: on the most practical conception, then calculus, full projected details for every element and union, well in advance of the manufacturing phase.

Thus, such a meticulous project made posible the buildings erection with strict dimmensional tolerances, in the range of milimeters.

The whole compound erected for this touristic resort was of 24 "bungalows" like this, together with much bigger common service buildings, on record time and great quality, to all extends, as it was evidenced by the pass of a hurricane, cat. 3, right through the site, few after these pics were taken, registering not relevant dammage on the works.

Architectonic Concrete S.L. provided his knowledge for this project to the technical office task, moulds, fixings, and colors and textures execution.

Holliday pics, see buildings in current service.
See buildings in current service(2).