We got our first look today at the first of the concrete “haunches” being built by ABC Precast in Nanaimo in their state of art precast plant. These form the “hinge” of the clam shell inspired building design and make the connections to the Glu-lam beams that hold the whole roof structure. These also get exposed inside and outside the building – so all round important esthetically and structurally and complex in their engineering and execution.
Chris Halusiak of ABC Precast shows off some pretty impressive workmanship. The indentation to his right is the lifting point for when these get craned into place. A few more pictures after the jump, click on any to see larger.
This photo from top of haunch gives a sense of the scale. That’s the knife plate for joining to the glu-lam at bottom of photo.
From the bottom, closest end bolts to building form at floor level then curves around to give the building its distinctive shape. Just visible at the other end is the knife plate that connects to the Glu-lam beams.
