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CarbonCast insulated wall panels in use on the Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, GA, U.S. A PR IL 2016 | 17 Precast Concrete PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY ALTUSGROUP Franciosa points to other advantages of the system. Fewer interior load-bearing and shear walls are needed, which provides more flexibility to the client for floor- plans and layout. Concrete reduces extra fireproofing requirements and can lower insurance premiums. Heating costs during construction are reduced as walls arrive pre-insulated. The company's exterior wall system needs only sealant, which is pro- vided, and glazing to be considered weatherproof. "This allows interior finishing to begin sooner, further reducing construction time," Franciosa adds. Over the long haul, as he notes, precast, which benefits from the quality control of being made in a plant, saves money in maintenance costs. "It is exceptionally resis- tant to impact, corrosion and weathering." CarbonCast insulated wall panels from AltusGroup Inc. are another product geared for high-performance and low-maintenance requirements over the long haul. "It's one of the most thoroughly tested wall systems on the market," says John Carson, executive director for AltusGroup. AltusGroup is a partnership of more than two dozen precast suppliers. The group operates on an entrepreneurial business model of "co-opetition" in which members co-operate to speed the development of precast technologies and then compete against each other for projects in the market place. The group's CarbonCast High Performance Insulated Wall Panels consist of two concrete wythes separated by EPS or XPS continuous insulation and connected by proprietary C-GRID shear trusses. The carbon fibres used to make C-GRID are over four times stronger in tensile strength than steel by weight, Carson says. The carbon-fibre-epoxy composite's low thermal conductivity helps improve the insulation system's performance. "Ours is the only carbon-based connector sys- tem for precast on the market. We were the first to use carbon fibre technology in a major way in the construction sector. The technology enables the manufacture of fully composite precast panels that are lighter, thinner and stronger, with more R-value," Carson says. Depending on wythe measurements and environment, steel or carbon fibre rein- forcing is available for the panel's concrete sections. Testing for structural integrity and coming up with the right mix of techniques to assess damage could assume a larger role at a time when much of North America's infrastructure is approaching its best before date – if it is not already past it. A couple of months ago, when a concrete bridge structure that included a post- tension system with precast elements was found to have some cracks in the con- crete, metal corrosion was also found to be present, but its extent was at first hard to identify. "Ground penetrating radar distinguished between sound and corroded [metal] conduit, but the radar could not tell if the interior cable was fully grouted. If that was so, it was highly unlikely there was a problem with the post-tension cable inside," says Roland Heere, senior materials engineer at Metro Testing Laboratories (Burnaby) Ltd. On the other hand, he says, ultrasonic scanning can't spot corrosion, but it can locate voids. A void would indicate that the cable that belonged within the conduit was either at risk of corrosion, or already compromised in some way – likely cor- roded. The ultrasonic testing was capable of identifying voids, but also returned what appeared to be some false positives," Heere says. However, the combination of ultrasonic scanning and ground-penetrating radar provided a non-invasive testing solution. "You need experience to run this kind of test, but the combination of the two systems seems promising," he says. A Finding Strength In Numbers W hen it comes to innovation and vision, precast producers AltusGroup continues to raise the bar. From its very beginnings in 2003 when AltusGroup became the first-ever national partnership of precast companies, its focus has been on continu- ing to develop, manufacture and market precast innovations. And its latest partner- ship with ARCIS Corporation of Portland, Oregon, is proof that AltusGroup is more committed than ever to bringing the latest precast innovations not just to North America, but to the world. The exclusive technology and manufacturing agreement with ARCIS Corporation, makes AltusGroup the official licensor of the patented ultra-thin prestressed panel and product technology. "This agreement is more evidence of our desire to be the driving force for bring- ing precast innovation to North America," says John Carson, executive director of AltusGroup. "This is a huge opportunity for us to bring the ARCIS technology to the architectural building community and precast segment. We have been studying the movement of the architectural market with respect to changing regional building codes and material specifications and believe the ARCIS technology gives us another proven, economical platform to meet the market's diverse enclosure needs." Developed by Brian Blount, founder and president of ARCIS Corporation, the tech- nology boasts depths as thin as 0.625 inches to 1.5 inches and uses non-corrosive stainless steel prestressing to impart exceptional strength, crack control and dura- bility, while allowing concrete cover to be minimized. Popularity of ARCIS has already exploded. The technology has been successfully used across the Pacific Northwest as cladding and exterior fascia panels, rainscreens and ventilated drainage products, interior décor, marine decking, planking and tactile ADA detectable warning panels. "Our agreement with AltusGroup will allow ARCIS to realize its full market poten- tial as a differentiated precast technology," says its founder Blount. "AltusGroup and its members have proven capacity and leadership to introduce new technology on a national basis as they have done with CarbonCast." The agreement with AltusGroup will dramatically expand the availability of the ARCIS product throughout North America. Initially, five of AltusGroup's members have elected to take sub-licenses. with more expected in the coming months. This is AltusGroup's first non carbon fibre-based product technology platform since the introduction of the group's flagship CarbonCast line; a next generation pre- cast technology that uses C-GRID carbon fibre composite grid for shear and face rein- forcement in high performance insulated wall panels, architectural cladding, double tees and piles. AltusGroup has more than two dozen structural and architectural locations in the United States, as well as 20 North American and two international AltusGroup com- panies. This network of manufacturing plants, technical staff and sales personnel ensure architects, engineers and contractors get the help they need, and the quality and performance they expect, when they select CarbonCast products. For more information, visit altusprecast.com or call 866-GO-ALTUS. — Advertorial —

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