ONLINE EXCLUSIVE PRECAST CONCRETE SATISFIES THE NEED FOR SPEED GAGE BROTHERS DESIGNED, FABRICATED, AND DELIVERED COMPONENTS FOR A 120,000-FT 2 STRUCTURE IN LESS THAN 90 DAYS BY SUSAN BADY Precast concrete handily met the objective of a Fortune 500 company to ramp up production of N95 protective masks for medical personnel and fi rst responders fi ght-ing the COVID-19 pandemic. The company had been awarded two U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) con-tracts for an expansion of its Aberdeen, S.D., facility, and the space had to be built fast. Adam Roark, engineering manager for Gage Brothers, which prefabricated the precast concrete components for this project, says, “At the start of the pandemic we were con-tacted by [Henry Carlson Construction], a contractor with whom we have a good rapport. They inquired if we could construct and deliver a total-precast building that could be ready for occupancy in 90 days.” Gage Brothers designed, fabricate, and deliver an all–precast concrete building in less than 90 days. “All the team members pulled out the stops, and their collaboration ensured we were able to meet [that] time frame,” Roark says. The metal-building industry could not have guaranteed delivery in three months. The building is durable and incredibly resilient. “While this wasn’t specifi cally designed as a storm shelter, the building envelope will stand up well to severe thunderstorms or other weather events typical [in this area] with minimal to no damage,” he says. “For example, a metal building is going to look like a golf ball after a hailstorm, whereas a precast concrete building isn’t going to have any damage.” Precast concrete beams stacked in the Gage Brothers yard await loading onto trucks for delivery to the jobsite. All Photos: Gage Brothers
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