ABSTRACT
The main benefits of precast concrete over other cladding materials are its good strength-to-weight ratio, its mobility and, because it is a non-combustible material, its fire performance.
Precast concrete came into its own for use in cladding during the 1950s and early 1960s with the development of high-rise housing. British architects quickly followed the examples of Le Corbusier’s Marseilles Unité block, built between 1947 and 1952, although manufacturers such as Trent Concrete and Empire Stone had been manufacturing high-quality cladding elements in the 1920s and 1930s. Morris (1966) has described the history of the development of precast concrete in Great Britain, France and the USA up to 1964. One of the most famous examples is the LCC flats at Roehampton Lane (facing slab manufacturer Modular Concrete), which marks the beginning of the continuous use of concrete cladding in the UK.
