Precast concrete is the future

Precast concrete is a form of construction where concrete is cast in a reusable mould or form which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into place. In contrast, standard concrete is poured into site specific forms and cured on site.

Precast concrete can be used for all buildings ranging from residential complexes to highways, bridges and highrise buildings.

Frank Schlotter, vice president of Vollert Weckenmann, says precast concrete is more commonly used now as it saves costs, time, and it can be used to erect houses and multi-storey buildings in a faster way. “It gives a better quality of buildings,” he says.

Contrary to popular perception, precast concrete is not more expensive than block concrete.

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“It is a better way to build. Workers who are manufacturing precast panels work under better conditions. The raw material for precast and regular concrete is the same, but when you use concrete on construction site, it is fresh and fluid, so you have to use more processes on site by hand. When you use fresh concrete in a production hall, you can use machines which are preparing it, as opposed to on a site where a worker has to do it by hand,” says Schlotter.

Erecting a precast wall takes about half an hour, while building a wall made out of concrete blocks can take one day, so the difference in the two methods lies in time taken for the process, which is especially important to the fast-track projects of Dubai.

But the Middle East construction market is still resistant to change and a number of contractors are not used to handling precast panels.

“Historically, the way to build here is block by block as the labour cost is very cheap. The first company which produced precast panels was Mammut. They started four to five years ago with precast and this year they have been successful in using it. It is the mind set which needs to change as it is a completely different way of working,” says Schlotter.
Mohammed Edwan, engineer of Concrete Technology, says that the way the region works is changing slowly and the advantages of precast concrete will become apparent to contractors in the near future.

“Precast concrete is a very fast building process that offers a complete solution for structures,” he says.

Concrete Technology manufactures precast concrete in its factory in Ras Al Khaimah and its material is being used in the construction of Dubai Industrial City and the Rembrandt project in Dubailand.

“Precast concrete is precast in factories and then pre-stressed so it can used as a structural solution, it is solution that saves time. And saving time is saving money in this business,” he says.

As the slowdown in the construction market is projected to correct itself in the near future and the construction industry rises up again, the cost of labour might rise as well.
“We are convinced precast will be very successful in the future in this region as the manufacturing of precast panels will get more viable. With the rising need for living spaces, for fantastic buildings which need to be built fast, then there is no option but to go for precast,” says Schlotter.