for parking decks- is often a result of using less raw material, which typically improves the sustainability of the component. Such is the case with CarbonCast insulated cladding panels. With 50-mm-thick inner and outer wythes sandwiching a 50-mm layer of insulation, the panel can reduce weight by 33% over a conventional 150-mm-thick solid precast panel. It is a similar case with double tees: a 10-mm reduction in flange depth (90 mm vs. 100 mm) can save 8% in weight and eliminate tons of load off the foundation and superstructure. Validation and certification AltusGroup, the partnership of precasters that brought CarbonCast to market 10 years ago, continues to invest in research to validate the performance of the technology. The group's technical committee recently completed wall and shear flow panel push-out testing at North Carolina State University (USA). The complete data package for the ICC-ES approval report for International Code Council (ICC) AC-422 criteria has been submitted by AltusGroup. (Many municipal building codes Government services administration building, Georgia, USA. Precaster: Metromont Corporation require an ICC-ES report for products.) Upon approval, CarbonCast would have ICC certification regardless of where the wall panel was made or which member made it. It would make CarbonCast the only structural precast sandwich wall panel of similar nature and use to earn that level of acceptance criteria. The use of CFRP grid in precast concrete is poised for additional growth. The product's sustainability benefits and likely ICC Evaluation Service Report publication - coupled with architects' and engineers' increasing comfort with the technology - will undoubtedly contribute to even more rapid acceptance during the technology's next 10 years. n More information: www. altusprecast.com Feature Construction No85 November - December 2013 / jec composites magazine 37http://www.altusprecast.com http://www.mvpind.com