Thursday, 1 March 2018

Precast Concrete: A defense against natural disasters

A very less known fact about precast concrete is its resiliency. The building codes have stressed on resilient construction for disaster-prone areas. In this case, the world needs to know about the new generation of Precast Concrete homes. Such homes provide higher resilience value and are also less expensive compared to wood framed houses. But what exactly is resiliency?

Resiliency:

In the context of building structures, resiliency can be defined as the ability of a structure to withstand extreme internal and external changes. Following properties help in defining the resilience capacity of a structure:
  • Longevity
  • Sustainability
  • Robustness
  • Durability
  • Reuse Adaptability
  • Disaster resistance

What are the internal or external changes affecting a structure?

A structure, at any time, is prone to following natural or man-made calamities:
  • Weather changes (hurricane, tornado, or flood)
  • Geological changes (earthquake, tsunami or volcanic eruption)
  • Man-made changes ( terrorism, war, or forest fire)
The ability to recover from these changes depends on a number of things. The first two categories can be handled by adopting few methods during construction. One such method is the use precast concrete. Precast concrete can be used to resist the damage caused due to flood, forest fire, tornado or hurricane. Let’s understand this an example:

Greensburg rebuilding with precast concrete:

A tornado hit the city of Greensburg, Kansas on 4th May 2007. It destroyed almost 90% of its homes and buildings. Fortunately, the lives were saved by early weather forecast and warning.

After this calamity, the community decided to act rigorously and provide resiliency to its infrastructure. Local leaders had group meetings a fruitful outcome of this was “Greensburg Greentown”. Several buildings were rebuilt with precast concrete. One of the best examples of this rebuilding is The Kiowa County Memorial Hospital. It has earned a LEED platinum certification.

Another example of rebuilding this city with precast concrete is The Twilight Theatre which was originally built long ago in 19’s. Many such public buildings were rebuilt using precast concrete to achieve the LEED Gold Certification.

Role of precast concrete in resiliency:

The above example indicates that precast concrete acts as a defense mechanism against natural disasters. It increases resilience capacity of a structure. It is a preferred choice when it comes to achieving sustainability. Precast concrete holds a strong record for ensuring the afore-mentioned attributes of resiliency: reliability, longevity, durability, robustness, durability, and recyclability.



These are the reasons communities in New Zealand, the United States and several other parts of the world are choosing precast concrete to protect their infrastructure, business, homes, and lives against calamities.

Our services in this field:

Silicon Engineering Consultants Limited is a New Zealand based company serving Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and several other parts of the country. We truly understand how calamities affect the infrastructure and lives causing a great damage. We also understand how the new generation has started to adopt the use of precast concrete in building construction for providing safety. Henceforth, we are offering our precast services to New Zealand and countries beyond it. Our preliminary services in the category include Precast Detailing Service and Precast Drafting. We have hired some of the best Precast Wall Panel Detailers to provide our client with a guaranteed safety in precast construction.

Project Quote Now!! Contact US

 
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