The feasibility of using hybrid concrete structures within the context of cost and time

This paper is based on research conducted for the Reinforced Concrete Council on the feasibility of using hybrid concrete (combinations of in-situ and precast) in the UK. The main aim was to benchmark hybrid concrete construction against other types of construction within the context of building cost, operational cost and construction time. This is achieved through the direct comparison of hybrid concrete construction schemes with the M62C3 scheme (an in-situ concrete scheme used as a reference building) (Goodchild, 1993) for which cost and time models are already established. This research demonstrates that the perceived idea about hybrid concrete as being more expensive than in-situ and steel structures is in many cases untrue. In fact, some of the hybrid concrete schemes analysed in this study have been shown to be less expensive than their in-situ concrete equivalents which in turn are cheaper than steel. In addition, this research clearly shows that initial costing of hybrid concrete construction is not the only factor to be considered when adopting this or any other type of construction technology. Other factors such as life cycle costing, construction time, procurement and process issues are as important. It is the holistic picture of the performance of hybrid concrete construction that needs to be addressed. The work on process performance, procurement and supply chains within the hybrid concrete industry is not within the scope of this paper. Barrett (1998) in another work package run in parallel with the work presented in this paper has documented his main findings in a report submitted to the Reinforced Concrete Council. The research presented in this paper has been performed with the support of the project’s industrial steering committee. A series of workshops and interviews were used to elicit knowledge and validate the results of the study.