Precast Solutions - January/February 2008 - (Page 27)

WHEN VERANDA PARK DEVELOPERS WANTED TO CREATE AN OLD WORLD TUSCAN FEEL FOR A MASSIVE MIXED-USE COMMUNITY PROJECT, PRECAST STONE PROVIDED A COST-EFFECTIVE ANSWER. precast stone veneer approximately 20 feet high around the base of the building, window trim, columns, shutters and a variety of decorative architectural features. The main entrance to Building 4000 has columns more than 28 feet tall in precast stone. “The client originally wanted to use real stone,” says Dave Thomas, the project’s architect and vice president of HKS Architects, “but precast stone was so much cheaper. Fortune Stone has a hybrid lightweight precast stone product with fiberglass content.” The product is made to look and feel like real stone. Precast stone can also be reinforced for greater strength and durability than real stone. Building 4000 with its large clock tower was a trial run for the precast stone manufacturer, according to Roman Rodriguez, Fortune Stone’s installation superintendent. “Veranda Park was looking for a company that could meet its demands,” says Rodriguez. He explained that many precast manufacturers don’t produce an array of colors, but Fortune Stone thrives in this type of environment with such high demands. Among the array of colors adorning Building 4000 are mocha, red, burnt orange and gold. “Every facade on the building has Fortune Stone on it, whether it’s trim or veneer,” says Rodriguez. The company used three types of precast stone. On the lower level, the precaster used a regular mix design with its typical weight for the veneer. For the trim and decorative pieces on the building, the company used FortuLite, a registered trademark for an air entrained concrete up to 50 percent lighter than regular-weight and GFCR yet very strong. This allows the pieces to be applied to upper stories of the building that could not have easily supported the full weight of natural stone or regular concrete. “It’s easier to install than real stone, and it’s durable,” points out Thomas. “They (Fortune Stone) can do a mixture of colors and textures as well.” The precaster can also match any samples provided. Jeff Westphal, PCL’s operations manager, says the precast stone used at Veranda Park is deceptively thin. “It’s a lightweight aggregate, and the pieces are hollow for the most part.” The major advantage of the product is its lower cost and light weight. Whereas each piece of natural cut stone would have been carved individually, precast stone reduces expense because various architectural components were repeated and cast in Veranda Park is being built in Tuscan style with colorful facades that look like real stone.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Precast Solutions - January/February 2008

Precast Solutions - January/February 2008 Contents Precast Concrete Short-Span Bridges Precast Micro-Reinforced Concrete A Winning Edge The Creative Edge TMI: Too Much Infiltration! Architectural Details Cast in Stone

Precast Solutions - January/February 2008

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