Precast Concrete in Residential Construction

Precast concrete is used extensively for construction of multifamily housing in Soviet bloc countries and much of Europe. Availability of raw material, speed of erection, all weather construction, and general acceptance of repetitive design and apartment planning are factors favorable to use of precast concrete abroad. In the United States, the precaster must respond to the architect’s preference and cannot depend on use of repetitive design to sustain the market. The domestic precaster has been able to satisfy the demands for building individuality placed upon him by the architect and planner and, consequently, is becoming a major factor in the construction of multifamily housing and in urban renewal.