The $22.1 million school was designed by AEM Architects, Inc., which also designed the nearby Tilden Elementary Center in Hamburg, PA with CarbonCast High-Performance Insulated Wall Panels. The school opened for the 2009-2010 academic year and features 44 classrooms, a cafeteria, gymnasium, library, computer labs, art, and music classrooms for an estimated 700 students. The two-story, 108,000 ft2 Willow Creek Elementary School was built in response to increased enrollments at the elementary school level. The shear wall can be tied together vertically and at corners to form a structural tube that cantilevers from the foundation.Īll lateral loads are transferred to a moment-resisting frame that ties beams and columns together with rigid connections. Lateral loads are transmitted by floor diaphragms to a structural core of precast shear walls. The economy of precast can be seen when combining gravity load-bearing function with the lateral load resistance.
Permits greater design flexibility because it eliminates the need for a structural core. This approach increases construction efficiency by eliminating scaffolding and on-site trades such as masonry and drywall, reducing RFIs, and producing an attractive, fire-resistant facade while saving time versus other construction methods. Total precast concrete building systems integrate architectural and structural precast components, expanding the precast wall role from minimal structural support to a load bearing facade and super structure.