Precast Solutions Weekly

Precast Solutions Weekly features one construction project or news item each week that is associated with the precast concrete industry. These features range from rural highway work to the legislative changes in our nation's capital that continue to shape the face of the industry. Visit www.precast.org weekly for the latest from Precast Solutions Weekly.

For the week of Feb. 4 - 10, 2007

Twice as many people are crammed into U.S. prisons today than there are residents in Rhode Island. That is a lot of potentially dangerous people under lock and key. And this sobering fact has state and local governments rushing to build more prisons. In 2005, the U.S. prisoner population grew to a record high. There were 2.1 million people locked up in America and hundreds more being pushed into prisons every day. The growing number of the incarcerated has revealed a real threat that if prison officials don’t build new prisons soon, the infrastructure that keeps criminals secure could soon fail.

But recent partnerships with precast concrete manufacturers have helped counter this doomsday scenario. For years precasters and governments have teamed up to better manage the annual incarceration surges by manufacturing and installing prefab prison cells. Prison officials have built with precast concrete for decades, but prison cell construction is relatively new. It’s gaining more widespread use as builders try and keep pace with the steady amount of prisoners starting their time behind bars.

Precast concrete prison cells come with all the necessary amenities built in. Thick, precast concrete walls embedded with HVAC knockouts as well as toilets, bunks, sinks and other prescribed amenities installed before on-site arrival.

Two notable prison projects currently underway in Florida and Missouri are the Citrus County jail expansion and the Taney County Judicial Facility. You can read more about the Citrus County project in the St. Petersburg Times article “Jail expansion using concrete, too.” Find out more about the Taney County Judicial Facility in the News-Leader.com article “Long-stalled jail finally taking shape.”

2006 Archive
South Florida Building Market Lacks LEED (Jan. 21-29)
Precast Fencing Market Strong (Jan. 14-20)
New MGM Grand Detroit Clad in Precast (Jan. 7-13)
Post Office, Parking Garage Lead Start of Denver Justice Center (Dec. 31-Jan. 6)
Precast at Detroit Auto Show (Dec. 17-23)
Precast Dubai (Dec. 10-17)
Locker Rooms Ready Ahead of Bowl Game (Dec. 3-9)
Suspended Paving at World Trade Center (Nov. 26 - Dec. 2)
Precast Skyway is an Ohio Feat (Nov. 19 - 25)
Time-Tested and AIA-Approved (Nov. 12-18)
Like Boston's Big Dig, Only Smaller (Nov. 5 - 11)
Iowa Builder Introduces Glass Mosaic and Precast (Oct. 29 - Nov. 4)
HUD Gives Nod to Precast Panels (Oct. 22-28)
Texas Educators Choose Precast for Expansion (Oct. 15-21)
Concrete Countertops 202 (Oct. 8-14)
Aloha, Precast Walls (Oct. 1-7)
Precast Home Popularity Soars (Sept. 24-30)
No More Patching Patches (Sept. 17-23)
Small but Not Small-Minded (Sept. 10-16)
National Parks Replace Jons with Precast Concrete (Sept. 3 - 9)
Gains Bigger When Building Underground (Aug. 27 - Sept. 2)
Back to Baseball in Florida (Aug. 20-26)
Colorado State Employees Enjoy a New, Larger Precast Concrete Garage (Aug. 13-19)
Big Dig Scrap Turns into Big Digs (Aug. 6-12)
'Idea House' is Testing Ground for Eco-Friendly Living (July 30 - Aug. 5)
Reliance on Wood Fades with New Precast Log Home Design (July 23-29)
Constraints of House Design Prompts Precast (July 16-22)
HGTV Eyes Precast Tiles for Kitchen Rehab (July 9-15)
Precast Concrete Countertop Makers Hit the Books (July 2 - 8)
Precast Concrete Sections Support $4 Billion Seattle Light Rail (June 25 - July 1)
High-end Living Without the Fat Price Tag (June 18-24)
Welcome to Bangor, Maine (June 11-17)
Blending In (June 4-10)
Carving Out a Niche (May 28-June 3)
NYDOT Tests Precast Road Slabs (May 21-27)
Floridians Drawn to Precast Panel Home Construction (May 7-13)
Notice: Overnight Delay Expected. Is That All? (April 30 -May 6)
Precast Rehab at Doyle Field (April 23-29)
Bridge-Building in the Bayou (April 16-22)
A New Paradigm in Botanical Research (April 9-15)
Solutions to an Inmate Influx (April 2-8)
NASA Supercomputer Selects Best Mix (March 26-April 1)
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (March 12-18)
Custom Oil and Grit Separator (March 5-11)
Women in Concrete Forum (Feb. 19-25)
JE Hill's "Fear Factor" (Feb. 5-11)
Jenson Precast Rolls out Concrete Walls (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)
Osteopathic Medicine and Precast Concrete (Jan. 15-21)

2005 Archive
"Practical Precast" Home Building Demo (Dec. 25-31)
Concrete Countertop Training (Dec. 10-17)
Precaster's Donation Funds New School Construction (Dec. 4-10)
Washington Post Addresses New Construction in the Gulf ( Nov. 27-Dec. 3)
Kokomo Route 22 Bridge Replacement (Nov. 20-26)

Submit project proposals to Greg Snapper for future Weekly postings.