Examples of Useful Hybrid Building Technology

Hybrid construction uses special building technologies to deliver high-quality, sustainable buildings on a smaller budget and in less time. Quite effortlessly, new technologies combine concrete construction and traditional steel with precast concrete elements that are manufactured in a controlled environment.

Pioneered in China, hybrid building technologies are taking construction by storm.

These are some of the benefits and examples of this innovative building technique.

The Benefits of Hybrid Building Technology

The ingenious new combinations of concrete construction and precast concrete elements helps builders get the best of both worlds. While in-situ concrete construction delivers flexibility, precast concrete elements allow for faster project delivery without compromising quality and onsite safety.

Thanks to the useful hybrid building technologies, precast floors, walls, and other structural elements can be manufactured off-site, in a controlled, weatherproof factory environment and then delivered to the constructionsite as is. With readymade frames and no clutter, onsite builders can work faster.

This ensures revolutionary benefits for both constructors and clients.

Not only does hybrid building technology enable constructors to produce high-quality buildings in less time, but it also facilitates the logistics of complex construction and reduces the risk of onsite injuries. At the same time, hybrid construction delivers cost reductions and better value to the client.

Building a structural frame doesn’t amount to more than 10% of the total construction cost, but the longer it takes, the more expensive it is. Also, the material used for the frame determines the overall sustainability of the building. With hybrid construction, the owner/occupier has less to worry about.

Concrete Examples of Hybrid Construction

Sustainability-wise, hybrid building technology can help moderate energy demands in heating and cooling buildings, thus reducing energy bills and improving overall efficiency. But this is not the only benefit of hybrid construction. Fast delivery is another one.

In China, hybrid building technology helped constructors build a 56-story building in just 19 days. This was made possible thanks to precast concrete elements being manufactured in a controlled factory environment by a skilled workforce. On-site, these elements were fixed on an in-situ cast foundation.

European architects and constructors, on the other hand, prefer hybrid building technologies and techniques over traditional methods not only because they are cost and time efficient. Aesthetically speaking, hybrid buildings stand side by side with the greatest accomplishments of European design.

A number of noteworthy projects involving hybrid construction have been finished in the US as well, where builders were able to take advantage of this technology in designing and producing functional, but also gorgeous-looking schools, terminal facilities, collaboration centers, and large corporate spaces.

Fast project execution is of utmost importance when it comes to school buildings - if construction is delayed one week, the entire academic year is delayed too. The same is true for corporate buildings, where construction necessarily puts day-to-day operations and business growth at a halt.

By allowing fast production, reducing construction-related injuries, and cutting building costs, but still helping produce high-quality, fully-functional, aesthetically pleasing, and sustainable buildings, hybrid building technology may soon render time-honored construction techniques inefficient and obsolete.

For information about how Focus can contribute to your next hybrid building development, reach out to us today.