Manish Mehan, CEO & MD, TKE (India)
Advantages and disadvantages of Precast Concrete Construction
The real estate industry is one of the most lucrative fields of work worldwide, and it is becoming more complex as technology improves capabilities and standards become more stringent. Having said that, the precast concrete construction has been gradually replacing the traditional on-site construction due to the benefits provided, notably faster time, reduced costs, better work quality, and less environmental impacts.
Prefabricated or precast construction guarantees more control over the quality of components and safety of the construction process in multi-story buildings. Many parts of a building are common among many buildings, while others are unique to a specific project. The typical parts of a structure offer the opportunity to take advantage of off-site fabrication. It saves the owner time and money to have components constructed offsite and later incorporated into the building at the project site.
The ultimate cost of some assemblies is lower using off-site construction because less labor is necessary in a factory setting without the obstacles of a construction site. Also, the ultimate length of a project can be reduced because prefabricated components are produced much more quickly and efficiently.
However, some other concerns such as design considerations and coordination of factory and on-site activities, may be easily undermined if an appropriate procurement method is not selected. In a precast concrete construction, for instance, precast members require highly skilled workers, more complex techniques, and a more complex design. Because the design professionals need to concentrate on perfecting the modular design, the intensive administrative work may be neglected.
Elevator planning and coordination during precast construction
Normally, during the building’s design phase, the placement and size of the elevators needed is determined and incorporated into the plan. When precast manufacturers are able to work with design teams on the front-end of a project, items such as elevators, can be coordinated to ensure a smooth installation during the building process.
The reason coordination is vital with regards to elevators is because sometimes the actual size of the elevator and the size of the shaft can vary, requiring modifications that can cost both time and money. These types of variations can result in anything from gaps in walls to planks with no bearing. By verification of elevator size proceeding the precast production process, some of the unnecessary risks can be mitigated.
Typically, contractors have a multitude of plan revisions and RFI’s throughout a project’s construction, but through continued communication and coordination between the contractor and the precaster, items such as elevators do not need to be an area of concern.
Building codes regulating design and selection of elevators
Since the elevators need to be safe during normal operations and during emergencies, elevator systems and the building construction that supports those systems are tightly regulated by building codes.
Some key considerations are related to fire resistance requirements (for shafts, machine spaces, and elevator lobbies), hoist-way ventilation requirements, accessibility requirements, foreign equipment restrictions, HVAC requirements, plumbing requirements, fire suppression requirements, emergency firefighter operations, fire alarm requirements, and electrical requirements.
Although elevator systems are sometimes oversimplified as a packaged system, the building code requirements regulating elevator systems have impacts that affect aspects of the building well beyond the hoist-way, machine, and control room spaces. Therefore, it is always advisable to work closely with a qualified design professional, if you are considering incorporating an elevator in a new building, or adding an elevator into an existing building, or modernizing an existing elevator.
Advanced features of TKE elevators
TK Elevator invests significant resources in R&D. Our products are designed with a simple philosophy of higher efficiency, fewer maintenance intervals, and lower associated emissions. Strong design and engineering are our core strengths, which form the basis of our business.
As many parts of India are at their early stage of urbanization, therefore TK Elevator has been focusing on striking a balance in satisfying the massive demand for reliable and quality mobility products, while, at the same time, introducing innovative and advanced mobility solutions that utilize assorted smart technologies to make elevators and escalators more efficient, and more user- and environment friendly.
Among other product enhancements, TK Elevator has developed the following game-changing solutions to take the user experience to the next level.
- MULTI is the world’s first rope-free elevator that moves multiple cars in a single shaft vertically and horizontally and reduces elevators’ footprint while increasing passenger throughput. MULTI is set to revolutionize tall building construction. With MULTI’s rope-free system, architects and developers are no longer restricted in their designs by concerns about elevator shaft height and vertical alignment, which opens the door to design possibilities in all directions.
- The TWIN elevator system consists of two cabs that operate in the same shaft independent of each other. Both cabs operate under the same intelligent group control system and are equipped with an innovative quadruple redundancy safety system. It uses less energy while transporting more passengers than conventional elevators.
- MAX is a game-changing predictive and pre-emptive service solution that extends remote monitoring capabilities to increase current availability levels of existing and new elevators. Utilizing the power of Microsoft Azure Internet of Things (IoT) technology, MAX makes it possible for an elevator to ‘tell’ service technicians its real needs, including identification of repairs, component replacements, and proactive system maintenance.
