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Jefferson High School, Sioux Falls, S.D. J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 9 Precast Concrete P H OTO G R A P H Y BY GAG E B ROT H ER S/CO U RT E S Y A LT US G RO U P I N C . Increasing the use of limestone and other such innovations has made precast concrete an even more favourable building material by ROBIN BRUNET P recast concrete as a construction material continues to rise in popu- larity among designers, architects, developers, and construction manag- ers, and for good reason. The market is predicted to grow at a rapid com- pound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3 percent between 2020 and 2027 and is consid- ered a key player in the green construction industry. Brian Hall, managing director of the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, points out the many benefits of precast at a time when the construc- tion market faces numerous challenges. "Shortage of qualified personnel and increasing labour costs are among the biggest challenges for the construction industry, and both unskilled and skilled workers can be employed in the production plant as well as on- site," he says. "Precast concrete's biggest production advantage over on-site construction is fewer employ- ees can produce more quality structures faster." John M. Carson, executive director of AltusGroup Inc., summarizes the scope of precast activity in 2022 as well as the types of projects his company is involved in. "The precast market in North America remains robust and strong, but supply chain dis- ruptions and rising costs are a great concern to producers and B&C contractors," he says. "Lead times and casting schedules are significant for most, and inflation, energy, and significant transport cost increases due to rising fuel costs will have an impact on all aspects for current and future projects." Carson adds that although distribution and data centres coupled with factory expansions and green- field projects are leading a growth surge, "designers and engineers are loaded with work and struggling to keep up to feed construction schedules. Labour remains in short supply across the board." Still, 2021 was a record year for AltusGroup and its members, and 2022 is starting off equally as strong. Plus, there is always opportunity in adversity. "Rising energy costs will feed continued pressure to deliver energy efficient enclosures and sustainable structures," Carson says. "Also, the precast industry has weathered the COVID crises and demonstrated the value for factory produced sandwich walls and cladding. Mass walls are a general contractor and designer favorite because they help to maintain tight schedules and on time project deliveries – especially in cold climate condition geographies." If some precast manufacturers were hoping that supply chain issues would be resolved in 2022, at least they have become accustomed to working around the problem. "Precast is fortunate because here at Lafarge we always have stock on hand, so we're able to even out the peaks that the market experiences," says Jason Rabasse, Edmonton-based precast business develop- ment/project manager at Lafarge Canada. These peaks continue to influence business in 2022, which Rabasse describes as "very strong, with lots of opportunities, and it helps that due to us keep- ing up stocks, we continue to offer pricing stability: a distinct advantage in these times of high inflation." One reason Lafarge's Pipe and Precast division is busy is due to innovations such as the StormTrap stormwater storage system, whose temporary stor- age of stormwater runoff in a large underground precast chamber allows the water to be released at a controlled rate and mitigates harmful effects such as erosion and flooring. As a licensed supplier of StormTrap in Western Canada, Lafarge recently cast 500 components of the system on behalf of the Fort Road Widening project in Edmonton. This is part of Edmonton's Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion project that will see a long portion of Fort Road increased to six lanes and include the widening of the CN Rail underpass and lowering the road for increased height. The lowering of the road created challenges around how stormwater management would be handled, and StormTrap was the ideal solution. Rabasse's colleague, Winnipeg-based Joe Klippenstein, general manager – concrete products at Lafarge Canada Inc., says, "This year is shaping up to be huge, and not just because of work. With our focus on our zero-net pledge, 2022 is the year we're transitioning from normal cement in concrete formulations to OneCem, which enables us to reduce our carbon footprint in the manufacturing phase by using more limestone in the mix." Klippenstein is referring to parent company Holcim's Business Ambition for 1.5°C Pledge. In 2020, the global organization became the first building materials company to sign the pledge Set In STONE (CPCQA) CANADIAN PRECAST CONCRETE QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM (CPCQA) CANADIAN PRECAST CONCRETE QUALITY ASSURANCE (CPCQA) CANADIAN PRECAST CONCRETE QUALITY ASSURANCE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

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