16A — September 27 - October 10, 2013 — Fall Preview — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
P recast
he precast industry in the Mid-Atlantic re- gion is seeing a grad- By Greg Winkler, Mid-Atlantic Precast Association Precast industry in the Mid-Atlantic region is seeing a gradual recovery from the recession T
as districts begin to pass bond referendums to enable them to catch up on a backlog of school renovations and new construction. As labor costs rise, cast-in-place parking structures will also become less competitive with precast, particularly as owners seek faster completion to begin generating income sooner. After an encouraging first half of 2013, the level of growth is expected to fall off in the sec- ond half. The industry predicts a 6% increase in Mid-Atlantic regional sales for 2014. MAPA and the national
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) have launched a marketing campaign focus- ing on the high performance attributes of precast. Precast concrete is well-positioned to take advantage of several trends that are emerging from the economic pressures of the recession: Envelope performance: The most significant trend to emerge from the recession was a new focus on building envelope and system perfor- mance. With the issuance of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC)
and LEED v.4, architects and owners are looking at design- ing building envelope systems that provide long-term opera- tional efficiency and lowmain- tenance costs for the owner. Public and private owners are increasingly demanding more rigorous energy model- ing and review of alternative façade schemes from their design professionals. Precast concrete wall panels offer scalable systems that enable architects to fine-tune the façade performance of their designs through adjusting the thickness of the concrete and continuous insulation. Shortage of skilled carpenters and masons : 2.1 million construction jobs were lost during the re- cession, and the construction unemployment remains above 9%. As work picks up, general contractors will struggle to find skilled tradesman to man the jobs. Precast concrete wall panels offer the aesthetic benefits of stone and brick without the need for masons or carpenters. Continuous insulation: New code and standard requirements for increased thicknesses of continuous insulation (insulation not in- terrupted by framing or struc- ture) places special hardships on typical masonry/framed wall construction. Wall cavi- ties must be made deeper to accommodate the extra thick- nesses of insulation, adding cost and a greater likelihood of wall moisture problems. Pre- cast concrete sandwich wall panels eliminate this concern with edge-to-edge insulation sandwiched between two wy- thes of concrete. Speed of construction: Rising interest rates and er- ratic weather patterns make it more desirable than ever to build faster to avoid winter conditions costs and gener- ate revenue earlier. Precast concrete construction can be as much as 40% faster than brick/block and steel con- struction, reducing contrac- tor general conditions costs. Because it is plant-produced, precast is also not impeded by cold weather, eliminating cold weather construction change orders and delay claims. Greg Winkler, AIA, is the executive director of Mid- Atlantic Precast As- sociation. n
data center work and dormi- tory construction at regional universities and colleges. New office work has been slower, as has new hotel/motel con- struction, military, and public work. The precast industry is still not seeing a heavy flow of developer-driven projects, and through conversations with the architectural community, is aware of a number of major developments still on the side- lines due to the lack of ability to obtain financing. As the economy improves, the industry expects K-12 school construction to improve
ual recovery from the re- cession, with more park- i ng s t r u c - ture, retail, and multi- use facilities popping up around the
Greg Winkler
region. Parking structures incorporated with multi-unit apartment and condominium work have been reasonably strong in 2013, as well as
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