| A Totally Precast Building |
| November 2000 | |
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The use of precast components for building construction is not widespread in Australia. Its chief advantages are savings in formwork and speed of erection.
The MYOB and Motorola office buidings, situated in the Tally Ho business park area of Burwood, Melbourne, are a project of CGA Developments and are examples of totally precast construction techniques. Architect Millar Watson and consulting engineer Bonacci Group decided on the use of hollow core plank, and precast beam and column construction for both office buildings. The precast elements for the buildings are being supplied and installed by Hollow Core Concrete Pty. Ltd. for Abigroup Contractors Pty. Ltd. MYOB's building has five floors and Motorola's three.
Using the sequential, stepwise construction for the five-floor MYOB facility, the erection of two complete five-level bays of 8m x 30m took 15 days, with the entire shell of 1500m2 area per floor scheduled to be completed in seven weeks. The Motorola shell construction of three floors, each 1440m2, was completed in four weeks.
Hollow core planks have a number of advantages, according to Hollow Core Concrete. The hollow cores lighten the planks without affecting their strength, and can reduce concrete costs by as much as 15%, the firm claims.
It says the planks also have very good load spreading characteristics. Fro example, a plank used in a 10m span plank floor with screed topping to which a point load is applied, bears only 23% of that load. The two successive planks on either side bear, respectively, 21% and 17.5% of the load. Planks are capable of spanning lengths between beams of 10m and more. |