Precast Concrete

Precast concrete is concrete cast and cured into structural or architectural components, such as wall panels, beams, columns and cladding units, in a controlled factory or yard setting before being transported to the building site for assembly, rather than poured in place. The controlled casting environment allows tighter quality control, more consistent finishes and faster on-site erection than cast-in-place concrete, and precast panels and structural frames became especially widespread from the mid-twentieth century onward in both utilitarian industrial construction and, in exposed architectural finishes, in high-design buildings where the precision of the factory-cast surface is itself part of the aesthetic.