Precast element façade made of high-performance concrete – Project Raiffeisenbank in Oberriet, Switzerland

Figure: CRE Panel GmbH

Project Raiffeisenbank in Oberriet, Switzerland

Figure: CRE Panel GmbH

The new Raiffeisenbank building in the Swiss municipality of Oberriet,
located close to the border, is a prime example of high-quality precast
concrete elements “made by CRE Panel”. The open white concrete façade
has a total surface of 340 m² comprising 59 made-to-measure elements,
of which 47 are straight and 12 are rounded. Each element has a weight
of approx. 1,000 kg. The textile-reinforced precast concrete elements were cast in special silicone formliners from Herne-based company Reckli using Dyckerhoff Flowstone white high-performance binder; the surface was left in smooth-formed finish. Titanium dioxide was added in addition to fibers. The white pigments are intended to prevent
organic contamination, and the titanium dioxide is intended to counteract airborne pollutants. No additional surface protection was applied in order not to reduce the photocatalytic processes. CRE Panel
produces precast concrete elements combined with state-of-the-art
technologies. “Concrete meets design” – “Concrete meets textile”: with
this proposition, the company replaces conventional reinforcing steel by high-performance textile reinforcement. While traditional rein-forced
concrete structures are cumbersome and, as precast elements, complex
to handle in terms of logistics, textile-reinforced concrete offers a more
lightweight and less complicated alternative that allows us to reach
new dimensions in the production of precast concrete elements. Long life,
significant material savings and reduced costs for transport and logistics
are arguments which, in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, speak
clearly in favor of using textile-reinforced concrete. This is in addition
to the notion of producing with maximum environmental friendliness and resource efficiency, thus also contributing towards a better environment.