Articles

Successes and Challenges of Two Experienced Canadian Architectural UHPC Precasters

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Abstract

m3béton and Szolyd Concrete Corp. are two experienced architectural UHPC precasters who will share their insights on the challenges and successes of working with UHPC for over 10 years to create art installations, urban furniture and architectural elements. This presentation illustrates what allowed these innovative firms to become experts in the architectural UHPC field. In particular, unique key projects will be highlighted where many design and fabrication challenges needed to be resolved. Achieving excellent surface aesthetics while using extremely thin sections is often why UHPC is selected for these challenging projects. Surface finish, texture and colour are key elements for these elements and managing expectations is an integral part of the design. Fabrication of these intricate elements is only possible because the precasters have developed specific techniques and a great understanding of UHPC's properties and limits. This presentation will discuss the fundamentals of architectural UHPC and its technical challenges for surface finish, texture and complex shapes. The long-term performance of several completed projects by both architectural precasters after many years of use will be reviewed. The precasters' insights on the successes and challenges for these projects will be explained. Finally, what do these precasters see on the horizon for architectural UHPC?

Keywords: UHPC, architectural, precast, urban furniture, artwork

How to Cite:

Doiron, G., Seibert, P., Croteau, C. & Harmon, T., (2023) “Successes and Challenges of Two Experienced Canadian Architectural UHPC Precasters”, International Interactive Symposium on Ultra-High Performance Concrete 3(1): 99. doi: https://doi.org/10.21838/uhpc.16706

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