Background
Concrete thinking: Lessons in precast design, testing, and fabrication for a sustainable future
Today, most construction is structurally and materially inefficient, developed to reduce labor over material costs through modular and oversized elements. We can—and should—change this through interdisciplinary design education, starting with architects and engineers taught to design thoughtful and high-performance concrete structures.
Through the support of the PCI Foundation, the University of Virginia School of Architecture would introduce new courses in the undergraduate and graduate architecture curricula to teach students in multiple disciplines and help advance precast concrete design research and practices. Working with our industry partners, the Tindall Corporation and Metromont, and our colleagues in the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science, we aim to build competency in precast concrete design and construction and, equally important, work with the concrete industry towards sustainable design and construction technologies that take full advantage of concrete’s performative values and widespread availability.
New and redesigned courses that encompass the following topics in precast concrete:
- Historical surveys of concrete’s technological origins, socio-cultural impact, and its subsequent role in global development.
- Building science workshops that introduce students to the standards and practices of the precast industry.
- Advanced research seminars that bridge the gap between the complex analysis of building performance metrics and our design choices.
- Design studios that bring together the preceding topics through design projects that are both realistic and thought-provoking.
The PCI Foundation grant:
- Impacts at least 50 undergraduates and 30 graduate students per year in new and existing coursework related to precast concrete.
- Creates new course content including graduate lectures, seminars, and design studios.
- Bridges the gap between existing departments at UVA, including the Civil Engineering and Materials Science departments, by introducing students to classes beyond architecture and to the exciting cross-disciplinary research taking place in other parts of the university.
Principal Investigator
Mohamed Ismail
Assistant Professor of Architecture
University of Virginia School of Architecture
ismail@virginia.edu