Photo from Contemporist

We couldn’t help but share this amazing use of concrete featured on design website Contemporist. From Sweden-based Kvarnen Studio and Forsberg Form, the TIDVIS collection is a group of visually stunning, minimalistic concrete grandfather clocks.

Photo from Contemporist

We are always looking for inspiration, and we found it in these clocks. At Precast Specialties Corp., our Architectural Products Group produces wall panels and trim work built to each customer’s specification. Our Roadway Products Group manufacturers precast curbing, parking bumpers and guardrail posts used by municipalities, developers, owners and contractors throughout the Northeast. In our Custom Products Groups, we work with architects and contractors to supply a range of custom precast materials to make sure the project is done right. From new finishes to interesting designs, we know that precast is an untapped resource for design inspiration.

At Precast Specialties Corp., we want to thank everyone for making 2011 a successful year. During the past year, we expanded our operations to include the new Solar Products Group and welcomed a new VP of Sales, Tim Breen, to the team. We had the opportunity to work with numerous great local architecture and construction firms to complete innovative and sustainable projects. We are looking forward to continued growth in 2012 and wish everyone safe and happy holidays and a great New Year!

Sheskey Architects is a full service architecture and interior design firm located in Quincy, MA. Sheskey provides fully coordinate design and construction services, customized to meet the needs of each individual client and each specific project.

From Pre-Design Services include site analysis and goal definition to Building Design with code research and coordination of consulting disciplines to Interior Design with materials selection and space planning, Precast respects the comprehensive, thorough dedication Sheskey gives to every project.

In 2006, Precast Specialties Corp. teamed up with Sheskey and engineering firm Veitas and Veitas Engineers to create the Kimball Woods apartment complex in Burlington. “Two ten-story steel framed structures were designed adjacent to a five-story precast parking garage. The project includes a total of 262 luxury apartments. Architectural precast was used as the exterior skin of the structure.” (Veitas and Veitas)

The use of precast concrete along with a number of other energy efficiency features made Kimball Woods one of the first Energy Star Homes rated rental properties in the region (Mullins).

We look forward to working with Sheskey Architects again in the future and applaud their work in architecture and interior design.

At Precast Specialties Corp., our mission is to embrace sustainable practices and continually educate our customers about the benefits of precast concrete as a sustainable building material. The following facts are from the National Precast Concrete Association’s “The Little Green Book of Concrete”, a great resource for precast information that we recommend reading!

- All the materials that go into precast concrete come from natural and recycled sources, mainly inorganic.

- Transportation costs can double the carbon footprint of construction materials through the burning of fossil fuels, which makes locally produced material, like precast concrete, more environmentally friendly.

- Many precast plants now incorporate concrete wastewater and cement recycling systems.

- Unlike other construction materials, precast concrete erection is much less disruptive to the site environment, producing far less construction debris, dust, noise and pollution.

- All reinforcing steel is made from 100 percent steel scrap. All reinforcing bars used in precast concrete are made from recycled steel. At the end of a precast structure’s life, the reinforcement can be recovered for recycling again.

- As with many concrete products, precast is easy to crush and recycle for use as aggregate – almost 100 percent of a concrete building can be recycled, no matter how heavily reinforced.

- Precast concrete is manufactured in plants under strictly controlled conditions, which means excellent resource efficiency for materials, labor, energy and processes.

- The easy installation of precast products makes for less noise pollution from the construction site, a significant benefit to those inhabiting or working in adjoining properties.

- The durability and long service life of precast products means fewer repairs and generations of service, which means less use of energy and natural resources during the lifetime of a product when compared with other materials.

- Over 60 years, a concrete home emits up to 15 tons less carbon dioxide than a lightweight alternative, thereby providing an environmentally better long-term solution.

- With operational energy (heating and cooling systems) accounting for about 90 percent of the energy consumption of a building, the ability of precast concrete systems to moderate temperature extremes is both economically important and good for the environment.

Expected to achieve LEED Silver certification by the US Green Building Council, the latest office building project that will house FM Global and Dedham Medical Associates located in Norwood began this November by Hobbs Brook Management LLC. With Marguiles Perruzzi Architects, a longtime Precast partner, and construction manager CM Columbia Construction, Hobbs Brook Management continues its reputation of incorporating energy efficient and green building practices into this new structure.

“Marguiles Perruzzi Architects designed the building to accommodate tenants with separate entrances and lobbies for each…A shared café resides on the FM Global side of the building but is accessible to Dedham Medical patients from an exterior door. The new building was sited to fit in to the complex of office buildings that comprises FM Global’s Center for Property Risk Solutions…The façade of precast concrete and metal rainscreen panels was chosen to blend into the context of the other buildings.

“The new building will be designed, constructed, and operated as a high-performance green building. Planned features include: 22% optimized energy performance; high performance HVAC equipment; 40% water use reduction; drought resistant plants, indigenous to the region that minimize the needs for irrigation water; bioswale and rain gardens that remove silt and pollution from surface water runoff prior to releasing in to the storm water system; a high reflection roof to reduce heat islands and to reduce building energy needs; solar shading on exterior window system to cut down on heat gain in the building; and the implementation of recycled and regional building product materials .” (High Profile)

Now featured on the AIA Rhode Island website, Precast Specialties Corp. will be sponsoring the next Lunch and Learn event, titled “Building Your Vision,” on December 14^th at 12pm at the AIA Rhode Island chapter office located at 148 Washington Street in Providence.

This Lunch and Learn with focus on architectural precast in building including different types of architectural precast concrete, the benefits of choosing precast, composition and finishes, the benefits of early consultations and project schedule gains when selecting precast as your building material.

AIA members should RSVP to Lisa Myers at Precast Specialties Corp. 781 878-7220 ext 217 or lmyers@precastspecialtiescorp.com.

The Lunch and Learn program was developed by the Architectural Precast Association and participants earn 1 AIA CES LU (Learning Units toward continuing education credits).

Strong, sustainable, high performance precast concrete resists weather, fire, corrosion, accidental damage and vandalism. It will not burn, rust or rot. It can be used for versatile and customizable architectural applications, roadway products, landscaping needs and sound barriers. No matter what the application, durable precast concrete from Precast Specialties Corp. contributes to the sustainable design of New England’s built environment.

The extended service life of a structure designed and built with sustainable precast concrete has a reduced environmental impact, yet durability does not prevent design flexibility. We offer a versatile selection of surface textures and colors in a variety of shapes and sizes to make your sustainable precast concrete buildings attractive for a lifetime of low-maintenance durability.

With a continued focus on sustainable, eco-friendly practices and products, Precast Specialties Corp. is proud to announce the formation of our new Solar Products Group.

Formed to meet a growing need for the solar photovoltaic industry that is rapidly growing throughout the Northeast and beyond, the Solar Products Group manufactures custom precast foundations and ballast assemblies for ground mount systems in addition to standard and custom sized ballast blocks for roof mount applications. We’ve been producing precast components for many of the large solar projects in New England and can offer customers the experience and reliability to deliver price and schedule that is critical to the success of a project. Having architectural precast capability in our DNA allows us to fabricate any shape, color or features necessary to meet any aesthetic or structural requirement in addition to efficiently producing standard, repeatable product to meet any schedule.

As the precast industry continues to evolve, along with a focus on solar, Precast Specialties Corp. has maintained a focus on high quality, low cost products including architectural precast panels, precast roadway products and custom precast products. Our Abington, MA-based facility is certified by both the Architectural Precast Association (APA) and National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA). Please contact Tim Breen at tbreen@precastspecialtiescorp.com for more information and additional pricing.

As the newest addition to the Precast Specialties Corp. team, VP of Sales Tim Breen discusses his background in the precast industry and what he sees in the future for precast concrete construction.

How did you get into the precast industry?

I actually ended up in precast by chance. I was a Political Science/ Philosophy double major at Marquette University and was working as a Project Manager/Sales in the Environmental Remediation field when I was contacted by a recruiter. I had roughly 15 years in that field and a career change wasn’t really on my radar at the time but as I learned more about the company, Unistress, it seemed like the right move. I remember telling my soon-to-be-boss that I didn’t know much about precast concrete during my interview but that it seemed like the perfect building product, and I could “sell the heck out of it.” I spent my first year in precast commuting 112 miles each way to get a crash course in precast. I watched product being cast, sat in on design meetings, project management meetings, as well as estimating and engineering meetings.

Do you feel you bring a unique perspective, having worked in a slightly different facet of the precast industry than Precast Specialties Corp. operates?

The lessons learned while at Unistress are proving to be very valuable. The way I think about precast – as the building solution of choice – comes from the experiences I have had while selling unique, quirky projects as well as selling more traditional parking garage projects. I’ve seen the positives and negatives of working for a very large precast company.

I think the clients I’ve gotten to know through the years and the relationships I’ve made have made this move an easy one from a transition standpoint. One of the stranger experiences I’ve had since coming here is looking at some project information from projects I bid while at Unistress that PSC won!

What are the big changes you see happening right now in the world of precast?

Precast is by far the very best building material to build with but surprisingly only a very small amount of projects in New England use it. Imagine a product that is better, faster to build with and costs less than the alternatives…and it isn’t used! Think of getting a Mercedes for the cost of a VW. The challenge for all Precasters is to effectively market our product and get it to be the first choice of Owners, Engineers, Architects and Construction Managers in New England. Our strength as an industry is our quality, our ability to improve construction schedules and our reliability. In a time when the most common question asked in the construction industry is, “how cheap can I get it done,” we must continue to deliver quality products at a reasonable price.

Riverbank Lofts, Watertown, MA

Spagnolo Gisness & Associates (SG&A) was founded by Al Spagnolo, Bill Gisness and Jeff Tompkins as a full service architectural, interior design and planning firm. With their mission, “to respond to each client’s vision through communication, collaboration, creativity and mutual trust,” SG&A provides an array of services from master plans, to feasibility and due diligence studies, to program analysis, site selection and more.

Sustainability is an important facet of the firm. SG&A believes that “as designers, we should embrace the obligation to educate our clients, and each other, in maintaining stewardship of our precious resources” which is why they explore eco-friendly strategies with clients and have teamed up with Precast Specialties Corp. on several projects including the Riverbank Lofts in Watertown, MA.

SG&A has received multiple awards for their innovative and unique designs. Recently, they won the Connecticut Climate Change Leadership Award for the ING Regional Headquarters project, the RIAGC Build Rhode Island Award for the GTECH Center and BOMA Boston’s “The Office Building of the Year” for One Brigham Circle.

Precast Specialties Corp. recognizes Spagnolgo Gisness & Associates for their creativity, dedication to their clients and commitment to sustainability and as an invaluable partner for future projects.