Project Overview
Designers needed to project a high-quality image for a new mixed-use project, one of the largest such redevelopment projects in the country, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 1 million ft2 (93,000 m2) complex features a blend of residences and upscale retailers. The facility projects a casual, pedestrian-friendly environment that gives shoppers and tenants a close-up view of the exterior. A manmade creek runs through the property, while a pedestrian sky bridge runs through its upper levels. The precast concrete exterior needed to match this level of detail and amenity, and it delivered.
Precast Solution
5726 architectural precast concrete panels were used to clad the exterior, featuring highly detailed geometrics and pieces ranging in size from 0.42 to 179 ft2 (0.039 to 16.6 m2).The sheer volume opened potential for delivery concerns over the long distance, but the operation ran smoothly. The 5726 pieces, nearly 5 million lb (2,300 tonnes) in all, were delivered in 179 truckloads, covering a distance of 370,520 mi. (596,000 km).
A key challenge was ensuring no damage to pieces during their trek while minimizing waste and packaging materials on-site. Dynamic crating and a bar-code tagging system permitted rapid loading, unloading, and permanent location identification at the site. Bringing finished manufactured panels onto the site made it considerably easier to maintain an organized and clean site.
The precast concrete panels also contributed to the LEED silver certification through their contributions to energy savings, waste management, recyclability, and other factors, but it was the detailed aesthetics that put this project over the top. |