By Tara Loomis
Senior Structural Engineer
Are you getting started on a project and need some help with layout and design, while keeping value in mind? In recent years, a trend toward early integration of the design/build process has developed into what is now called design assist.
Mid-States Concrete is currently able to offer services to our customers – including layout, design, and value – as early as the schematic design phase, helping customers to keep their projects on-time, on-budget and on-target. These services are provided for you through our preconstruction department by Tara Loomis, senior structural engineer. Prior to Mid-States, Tara spent 20 years in the consulting engineering field, which exposed her to a wide variety of building materials and systems. Her vast work experiences make her uniquely qualified to evaluate your projects and propose the precast solution that best fits your project’s needs.
Getting Mid-States on board early, and working through early design phases together, aids in cost efficient element sizing and helps to limit issues during final design, saving you time and money. If drawings are already underway, we can review the drawings and provide any cost-saving comments to ensure an efficient and economical precast layout. If your project is not a total precast structure, we can help with how the entire structure will be framed, calculate loads, and aid in precast sizing that is critical at the time of design development, truly partnering with you to ensure the success of your project. Determining precast element sizing early saves on drawing modifications later. It also eliminates other issues that often arise when element heights change late in a project. Again, this early work can save time and money later.
Another area we can help is with precast details. If you are unsure which is the correct detail to use on a project, or which is most cost efficient, we are here to assist with drawing development and design. Tara can aid in things from building envelope solutions to advanced building efficiencies and performance, which allows clients to maximize investments in their buildings.
Tara’s technical experience, attention to detail, and knowledge of precast efficiencies gives her and the Mid-States team a valuable understanding of how to best support our customers, and ultimately help your project to be successful.
If you are interested in precast design assistance for a project, please contact Mid-States at sales@msprecast.com.