Reminiscent of rows of the famous Buried Chinese Terracotta Army, precast concrete units sit in rows at Wilco Precast’s yard at Papakura awaiting their fate.
Wilco has completed the manufacture and delivery of approximately 2000 precast wall and floor panels for the new $300 million, 960-bed Men’s Correctional Facility at Wiri, due to open in 2015. The Y-shaped internal wall sections were cast vertically in steel moulds using self compacting concrete which was pumped in from the bottom of the moulds. All electrical conduits, weld plates and penetration holes have also been cast-in during the manufacturing process.
The floor panels, which sit on top of the walls, form the ceiling of the cells beneath. These panels have a rebate cast-in to form the shower base, along with conduits for plumbing, electrics and fire sprinklers. Roughly 3000 cubic metres of concrete, along with 300 tonnes of reinforcing steel, was required in the manufacture of the precast components.
Fletcher Construction Ltd
