On June 20, 2003, Coreslab Structures celebrated the grand opening of a new, ultra-modern, hollow core floor and roof slab plant located in Dundas, near Hamilton, ON. Coreslab Structures Inc., a Canadian company, is a leading manufacturer of precast and prestressed concrete in North America.

Present at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: (L-R) Tony Valeri, MP for Stoney Creek; Lou Franciosa, Coreslab President; Bob Wade, Mayor of Hamilton; Domenic Franciosa, Coreslab Vice-President; Sidney Spiegel, Coreslab Secretary Treasurer and Mario Franciosa, Coreslab Executive Vice-President

Coreslab's precast existence began in 1975 as a small hollow core manufacturer in Burlington, ON. Since that time, the company has evolved and expanded to become a prominent precast/prestressed concrete structural and architectural precast concrete producer with affiliates in Dundas, ON, Phoenix, AZ, Conway, AK, Jonesboro, GA, Columbia, SC, Thomaston, CT, Perris, CA, Medley, FL, Oklahoma City, OK, Orlando, FL, Tampa, F and Cedar Park, TX.

The factory walls at the new plant are clad using energy efficient precast concrete sandwich panels produced with white concrete materials. Bands of windows, just below the roof, allow natural light to fill the plant during daylight hours.

A new 2 storey office building houses administration, sales, engineering and accounting personnel. The floor and roof structure uses long span hollow core slabs. The office walls are constructed using white, custom-made architectural precast concrete panels.

Hollow core slabs are machine manufactured under controlled conditions. Slabs are continuously extruded using no-slump concrete on long-line casting beds. Hollow core slabs are prestressed. This means longer spans, shallow depth and the ability to carry heavy loads are easily accommodated. After curing, the hollow core slabs are cross-cut at 90° to the exact length for each project. Rip and angle cuts are possible but cost more.

Hollow core slabs are cast with continuous voids to reduce weight and cost and, as a side benefit, for use to conceal electrical wiring or mechanical ducts.

Slabs are 1220 mm (4'-0") nominal width and 203 mm (8 in) deep. Other sizes are available for special applications -152 mm (6"), 254 mm (10"), 305 mm (12") and 355 mm (14").

Hollow core slabs are stockpiled at Coreslab's plant until needed at the jobsite. Slabs are stacked so they can be loaded directly onto a truck for fast delivery.

The top surface of this slab has been roughened to bond a cast-in-place topping, poured at the jobsite.

Lou Franciosa, Coreslab President, said, "Coreslab's new facility is necessary to keep up with the volume of market demand. Coreslab's expansion will create additional employment opportunities in the fields of engineering, transportation, sales and administration. Coreslab employs 150 staff in Southern Ontario and over 2000 employees throughout North America."

He continued, "Coreslab covers the spectrum in meeting consumer demands in the commercial, industrial, engineering, institutional, residential and retrofit sectors. Precast and prestressed concrete has become the preferred building material used in construction because of its durability which satisfies today's demanding requirements. This type of concrete is widely sought after in the construction of office buildings, government facilities, sports facilities and parking structures due to its strength, fire resistance and energy efficiency."

Coreslab website: www.coreslab.com

Credits
Structural Engineer: JNE Consulting Ltd.
Hollow Core: Coreslab Structures (Ont) Inc.
Precast sandwich and architectural panels: Pre-Con Inc.
Concrete Batch Plant: BMH Systems