Carlton Precast Reinforced Concrete House

• Manufacturer: Concrete Ltd
• Designer/Architect: R Pianca & Carlton Contractors
• Number Built: 350
• Period Built: 1965-69
• Construction Type: PRC

Identifying Features
2-storey terraced houses.
Shallow pitch gable roof covered with concrete tiles.
Front and rear external walls of eaves height PRC columns infilled with vertical timber boarding.
Spandrel PC panel at first floor level.
Gable wall of storey height PC panels.
Aluminium fascias.

Surveyors Notes
Vertical cracking of PC columns.
Cracking and spalling of gable and spandrel PC panels.
Carbonation of PC panels.
Low concrete cover to reinforcement in PRC columns.
The system was also used for flats.

This house was constructed using a pre-cast concrete method of large panel construction. Large panels of pre-cast reinforced concrete, that was pre-cast off-site, in a factory setting and then transported to the location of the construction works, where is was subsequently lifted in to place to form the left & right side walls and floors.

Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mould or “form” which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into place. In contrast, standard concrete is poured into site-specific forms and cured on site. Precast stone is distinguished from precast concrete using a fine aggregate in the mixture, so the final product approaches the appearance of naturally occurring rock or stone. More recently expanded polystyrene is being used as the cores to precast wall panels. This is lightweight and has better thermal insulation.

Precast is used within exterior and interior walls. By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment (typically referred to as a precast plant), the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Using a precast concrete system offers many potential advantages over onsite casting. Precast concrete production can be performed on ground level, which helps with safety throughout a project. There is greater control over material quality and workmanship in a precast plant compared to a construction site. The forms used in a precast plant can be reused hundreds to thousands of times before they have to be replaced, often making it cheaper than onsite casting when looking at the cost per unit of formwork