Many multi-story commercial projects require the installation of one or more elevators. During the 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 regard 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 kinks 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.
The strategy of close and constant communication during a project is not relegated to only elevators, Precasters are great communicators because they understand the importance of choreographing the details of a project to ensure success. Precasters and general contractors both benefit from open communication throughout the design process to ensure mistakes are caught well before the precast arrives on site. Because precast is produced offsite, updates to plans can be resolved ahead of time and changes made in the production plant to avoid erections of wrong materials on the project site which saves both time and money for all parties involved.
General contractors have a lot on their plate when making sure a project will be constructed smoothly. Precasters can help alleviate this through building and maintaining strong relationships with local contractors who appreciate a precast producer who works diligently to provide quality precast building components on time every time.
