Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1469378
J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 13 Precast Concrete P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y M A R D I N A CO N S T RU C T I O N ; P EI K KO G RO U P CO R P O R AT I O N As for supply chain issues, Klaassen has a firm grip on the problem. "It's more about not in time rather than logistics, and we're ordering up to seven months in advance for materials like graphite that we use for insulation. So far, we're coping – but if this degree of slowdown continues there's going to be trouble for the industry down the road." Mark Johanson, business development at Peikko Group Corporation, regards the labour situation in a slightly different light. "It favours precast because precast requires much less on-site manpower," he explains. "Conversely, the situation is bad for cast- in-place projects, plus the cost of cast-in-place is going up because of labour shortages." Peikko is benefitting from additional trends in 2022. "Retirement home projects are on the rise and account for about half of our total business," Johanson says. "The other half is condos, and in that regard one of our biggest clients is Mattamy Homes." Peikko has several technological advantages that approximate the advantages of cast-in-place. Johanson explains, "Precast's achilles heel is deep structural beams, but our Deltabeam system allows for shallow beams, which streamlines work con- siderably." Open spaces (with grids of up to 7.5 by 11 metres) can be designed regardless of their archi- tectural complexity. Also, Deltabeam comes with built-in fireproofing; no additional fire protection needs to be applied onsite. Given that Peikko supplies a vast array of con- nections and reinforcement systems for concrete applications, Johanson is keeping a close eye on the Russia/Ukraine war. "Lots of steel comes from both countries, and our head office overseas in Europe is already being affected by the conflict," he says. "Peikko produces in Canada, and we expect to feel the price crunch by April." Coreslab Structures Inc. is a premier producer of precast/prestressed concrete products and a major supplier of structural, architectural, and hollowcore solutions. "Our bread and butter is hollowcore floor and roof slabs, and we are also extremely involved with total precast buildings and industrial pre- cast panel solutions," says Joshua A. Fede, business development manager at Coreslab. Even though it was completed and opened in 2021, Coreslab continues to receive a lot of attention for its work on The Putman Family Y WCA project in Hamilton, for which Coreslab provided a total precast solution allowing the building to achieve Passive House designation. The total precast struc- ture incorporated a load bearing wall, continuous insulation, airtightness, and an exterior finish all in one component. The building consisted of over 330 precast components, including wall panels, beams and columns, and more than 43,400 square feet of precast hollowcore slab. Fabrication plant precast construction, Vernon, B.C. Construction of Riverstone retirement home, London, ON. Rebar.indd 1 2016-11-03 1:24 PM