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Precast concrete can be used for a variety of applications.
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How can the use of precast concrete help you win future work? Construction Week investigates the benefits and challenges of the product and asks: what is the future of precast in the Middle East?

As 2010 approaches, many firms are re-evaluating their working methods in order to maximise their efficiency prior to any potential upturn in the construction sector. Value engineering is thus becoming a common phrase, with off-site prefabrication one of the key factors being considered for this process.

Off-site prefabrication can be applied to many elements of a building. And, while a wide variety of materials and products can be used in the process, one of the most successful is concrete. So what is the uptake of precast concrete products in the Middle East and how is the material being used?

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“Precast concrete was introduced to this part of the world more than ten years ago and has rapidly grown in popularity,” reports Dubai Precast general manager Matti Mikkola.

The use of precast concrete products peaked in 2007-08, as did the construction sector in general, however its rise in use was not simply down to a stronger construction market.

“Along with a rapid increase in the construction sector, the precast business managed to gain an increasing market share from the conventional structural systems,” reports Mikkola.

Precast concrete in use
There is a vast range of applications for precast concrete within the construction industry, many of which are installed for a project’s operational purposes.

“Sanitary and storm sewers, box culverts, catch basins, pump/lift stations, septic tanks, exterior grease interceptors, water storage tanks, wet wells, electrical and communication vaults and many other products all play a pivotal role in maintaining a clean, healthy, productive environment. The main components of these systems typically consist of precast concrete,” explains Xtramix International Precast’s precast operations manager Dr Tomasz Ciesielski.

In addition, precast concrete can be used to provide larger structural components such as walls, frames and floors. The basic concept remains the same: at a factory location in advance of being needed on a project, concrete is poured into shaped casts to form individual components.

These are then transported to the construction site when required and connected together to form the final structure. One very visible, large-scale use of precast concrete currently underway is the Dubai Metro project; however it is also being used extensively in the region for many other less prominent projects.

“A large majority of projects done with precast are housing projects; these comprise of many types of low-rise buildings, including labour accommodation, hostels and housing projects,” reports Mikkola.

“The repetitive nature of these projects makes precasting them a wise decision as it reduces the amount of manpower required; the components are produced in a factory where the efficiency is higher and only a small amount of labour is required for the installation at site,” Mikkola explains.