The Bellevue Hill Public School in Sydney is utilising the advantages of a precast solution in building a new four-story structure, both in terms of structure and appearance.
The project involved the use of 52 architectural wall and window panels, including 36 double-story wall panels with “windows,” which are 7.5 meters tall, 2.8 meters wide, and 500 millimeters thick.
Furthermore, 16 flat panels of varying sizes were provided. Colin Ginger, General Manager of Precast Concrete Products, confirmed that the company created two highly accurate two-story molds for the different window designs.
“This was quite complex because we needed a left hand and a right hand version and there was complex geometry to get the shape just right.”
To enhance construction efficiency, Precast Concrete Products suggested modifications to the original design. Initially, the wall panels with windows were planned to be single-story in height, which would have required more panels and extended the time for installation on the job site. By increasing the panel size to double-story, which reduced the quantity of pieces, the company was able to achieve cost savings on the job site.
Precast Concrete also value-added to the larger flat panels, which were originally designed to be erected as cladding but were changed to be structural wall panels, which saved formwork time and costs on site.