Quick Points:

• All-precast system using CarbonCast reinforcing technology
• R-16 walls provide controlled environment for food development
• Ribbed details with light and medium sandblast finish; punch windows for natural light
• CarbonCast panels made under an agreement with AltusGroup Inc.

Summary
Precast brings sweet success at Cadbury Adams R&D facility

Precast Speed
Fast erection a major factor in choosing precast

Challenges
Working together yields a sensible design

CarbonCast Benefits
Innovative carbon fiber technology delivers fully composite load-bearing performance

Precast brings sweet success at Cadbury Adams R&D facility

To build upon the reputation of brands like Bubblicious^®, Dentyne^®, Swedish Fish^®, Chiclets^®, and Halls^® cough drops, confectioner Cadbury Adams USA LLC planned to erect a new Science and Technology Center.

The 148,000-square-foot facility was designed to support the company’s confectionary innovation initiatives. It houses laboratories where food engineers develop new gum, mint and candy products and conduct research on existing products. It also includes a pilot plant for new technology assessment and process development as well as a “sensory” area for taste testing.

Architect PS&S originally called for conventional brick and mortar construction for the exterior walls. But after careful consideration and counsel with the design team, PS&S opted for a CarbonCast^® Thermally Efficient Sandwich Wall Panel system from High Concrete Group LLC.

On many levels, the decision couldn’t have been sweeter.

Major Factor in Choosing Precast

The primary reason for selecting precast, says Luke Gong, architect at PS&S, was the quick erection timeline. The precast elements were fabricated at High Concrete Group’s Denver, Pa. headquarters facility and delivered ready for erection. Precast eliminated the need for material and equipment storage—impossible with field-construction methods.

In addition, because precast concrete is manufactured in a controlled factory environment, the design team avoided weather-related delays and costly setbacks. Speedy completion of the walls and roof enabled subsequent subcontractors to get on the job sooner than other construction techniques could have allowed.

So when the project finished two months ahead of schedule, it was clear that precast was the right decision.

“We decided to make the switch at the recommendation of the construction manager to save time,” explains Gong. “We were very happy with the results and are considering it for future projects.”

Working together yields a sensible design

Saving time on the back end of a project typically requires investing a little more time early on. The architect and High Concrete Group engineered the wall panels to ensure suitability for the application, efficiency of fabrication and proper aesthetics.

“We worked very closely with High to develop the construction plan,” says Gong. “We went to their plant to see the different options available and worked from there.”

The two-story vertical wall panels ranged between 33 and 35 feet high and ten to twelve feet wide. Horizontal reveals were utilized with a ribbed finish to provide architectural interest on the exterior wall surface. Brick shelf angles were eliminated with the use of spandrel beams. And window punches were incorporated in office areas where the architect sought natural light.

The panels featured a light and medium sandblast finish. The interior was completed with a food-grade quality steel trowel finish, saving time and money.

Innovative carbon fiber technology delivers fully composite load-bearing performance

With such a cutting-edge facility, it’s no surprise that the exterior walls of the Cadbury Adams Science & Technology Center are innovative as well. Instead of conventional precast sandwich panels, High Concrete Group produced CarbonCast Thermally Efficient Sandwich Wall Panels.

Conventional precast panels “sandwich” a layer of rigid insulating foam between two wythes of concrete. A thin outer and a thick inner wythe are connected with rows of fiberglass pins that transfer normal forces between panels without contributing thermal bridging. This structurally non-composite panels support loads on the thick inner wythe.

By contrast, both the outer and inner concrete wythes are load-bearing in Cadbury’s CarbonCast sandwich walls.  In this design, the two wythes are each only 3” thick and are joined by C-GRID^® carbon fiber shear trusses that transfer in-plane shear forces between the wythes.

Structurally composite, the panels are lighter in weight, using less concrete and cement, are easier to ship and erect and may help reduce foundation and superstructure requirements.  Because the wall sections are thinner – each wythe is only 3” thick – CarbonCast walls allow more interior space within the building’s footprint.

With a 4” thickness of closed-cell XPS foam inside, the Cadbury panels provide insulation values at a healthy R-16. Because carbon fiber trusses have relatively low thermal conductivity, the panels provide an even insulation profile. They do not have problems with hot spots or cold spots that can plague metal shear connection options, and help create an ideal controlled environment for confectionary product testing. In addition, the R-16 performance can lower heating and cooling costs over the life of the building.

“Moving into a state-of-the-art science and technology center that gives us the opportunity to grow will go far in helping Cadbury Adams realize our goal of being the confectionery leader in the Americas,” said Dr. Barbara Raphael, senior vice president of Science and Technology at Cadbury Adams in a press release.

Overall, speed of construction, aesthetic freedom and excellent thermal performance combined to make precast an ideal wall system. For Cadbury Adams, High Concrete Group’s solution was a sure recipe for success.

CarbonCast is a registered trademark of AltusGroup, Inc.
C-GRID is a registered trademark of Chomarat, North America.
Bubblicious, Dentyne, Swedish Fish, Chiclets, and Halls are registered trademarks of Cadbury Adams USA LLC.