The team at BGC Precast have innovated their unique Hollowcore slabs to deliver a unique industrial building situated over the road from BGC Cement’s new Kalgoorlie depot on Kayili Rd.
The project led to the modification of Hollowcore’s edge profile with an innovative tongue and groove formation that allows for interlocking connection of each slab. To make the joints watertight, BGC Precast’s team also fitted a special sealing strip to the horizontal tongue and groove joint between the panels, which expands when wet.
The new innovative feature was developed for each of the 160 Hollowcore wall panels required for the project.
The precast ensured for a quick installation using a small rubber tyred mobile crane in conjunction with BGC Precast’s special roll-over clamps. This then allowed the panels to be picked up from a horizontal stack, rotated mid-air to 90 degrees, and then installed. The panels were bolted to the steel wall columns using BGC Precast’s special clamps, which only needed a battery powered impact wrench to fasten.
The lightweight composure of BGC Precast’s Hollowcore product makes it easy to transport. This allows many more square metres of wall to be transported on any load. It’s an ideal system for remote country areas in WA, where local made concrete is expensive, and large cranes are not always available.
Altogether, the process for production and installation was fast, simple and cost effective for the client. As a result of the project’s successful completion, BGC Precast is now in discussions to implement the same product for a much larger industrial building in Port Hedland. Well done to the team!