A sustainable building delivers healthy environments, energy efficiency and high performance over many years.
Precast, prestressed concrete can contribute to the design and construction of sustainable structures that perform efficiently and offer occupants and communities safe, healthy and useful spaces that can be effectively utilized over many years.
The flexibility and longevity of precast buildings means they can be used and reused for decades, providing excellent performance for generations. Fly ash and other supplementary cementitious materials also can reduce the carbon impact inherent in the use of cement. LCA data shows that, due to the long life cycle of precast, its lifetime carbon impact is comparable to other materials.
Over the course of that long life, precast can deliver a number benefits for sustainable design. Upwards of 90 percent of the impact of a building happens in its operating phase, and precast sandwich wall panels can utilize the thermal mass effect to provide excellent performance that can result in notable reduction in energy used to heat and cool buildings.
In addition, the long spans possible with precast allow for designs that maximize daylighting, and create an enormous amount of flexibility so buildings can be reorganized and utilized for evolving purposes over their lifespans.
An inert material that does not emit volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) or provide a surface for mold to grow, precast also contributes to healthy interior spaces with good indoor environmental quality. It also has excellent sound attenuation qualities and has high STC ratings.
Sustainable precast is resilient, energy efficient, resource efficient and provides healthy interior environments.