Construction of The Locks Tower | Richmond, Va.
The Locks Tower is the one of the first residential high-rise projects in Richmond, Va. to utilize a total precast concrete structural system. The 12-story, 354,846-square-foot apartment building sits at East Byrd and South 10th streets.
Cost is the often the driving factor in the precast concrete trend since labor costs are lower for high productivity, controlled environment, plant manufacturing than they are for forming, reinforcing, placing and finishing concrete in the field. Popular residential features such as higher ceilings and exposed materials are easier to achieve with concrete structures than steel construction with internal girders.
Comprising 1,535 panels, the 12-story residential tower is a virtual precast concrete LEGO set combining columns, beams and wall panels with floor and roof panels. Though it sounds simple, erecting the 12-story structure is a serious undertaking. The driving force of the project is a 1.3 million-pound Liebherr crawler crane which lifts and sets components weighing up to 92,000 pounds each.