Precast insulated sandwich wall panels, solid interior wall panels and hollow core floor and roof slabs were used to construct the Agnes Hodge Elementary School. Quality control was maintained at every stage of the production process.

Fast Construction
Manufacturing precast elements during site preparation saves time - resulting in fast efficient construction. Precasting a complete wall, floor and roof system ensured quality concrete cured under ideal conditions. Precision manufacturing allowed rapid problem-free installation at the job site. Precast was the ideal choice of construction material due to time constraints on the opening of the school.

The complete installation of all 180 precast components took only 3 weeks.

"The Agnes Hodge Elementary School, Brantford, was undertaken and completed in a very tight timeframe. This was my first major project involving structural precast. The building is a 2 storey, 14 classroom addition to the school, constructed with insulated structural precast. The speed and quality of construction was very impressive and I would certainly promote this form of construction in the future," said Bill Flucker, Vice President, STM Construction.

Unlimited Appearance Options
The exterior finish was achieved by utilizing a combination of Ottawa red stone, Ottawa sand, white and Grey cement along with a lemon coloured pigment. A two textured finish was achieved by light and medium sandblasting.

Long Spans
Precast hollow core floor and roof slabs offer tremendous design flexibility by providing long clear spans.

Functionality
The precast concrete insulated sandwich wall panels provided a complete building envelope for the exterior walls. The precast wall and floor assembly proved to be a cost effective, quickly constructed and well insulated system. Load-bearing precast wall panels offered a highly efficient thin cross-section that maximized floor space while minimizing building area.

Precast exterior wall panels containing 2 in sandwich insulation were 200 mm (8 in) thick. A typical insulated brick and block masonry wall with a 50 mm (2 in) air gap is about 400 mm (16 in) thick. This space saving throughout the building cut material costs and produced a more energy efficient building.

Changes to the school can be made in the future for both technical upgrades and building expansions.

Quantities
47 - Insulated wall panels   930 sq m   10,000 sq ft
39 - Solid wall panels   1050 sq m   11,300 sq ft
90 - Hollow core slabs   750 sq m   8,100 sq ft
4 - Solid slabs   40 sq m   400 sq ft

Owner: Grand Erie District School Board
Architect: The Ventin Group
General Contractor & Project Mgr: STM Construction
Engineer: Traux Engineering
Precast Concrete: Wall panels: Pre-Con Inc, Brampton, ON
Prcast Concrete: Hollow core slabs: Coreslab Structures Inc., Dundas, ON