For each panel type, a wood form is built, and concrete is poured into it. A team levels and smooths the concrete, and the panel is left to cure. The night shift then removes the form from the panel, marks the panel with a special number, and places it in a holding area to finish the curing process before it is shipped to Raleigh. The numbers on and attached to each panel will tell the contractor where on the building that panel is to go.
Once the project is ready to begin exterior shell installation, Gate Precast Concrete will load a semi-truck with panels and drive to Raleigh, about an eight-hour drive. From there, the panels go to a holding area, where another team places the glass in the frame and prepares each panel for installation.
When will we start to see these panels placed on the building? Well, the team is still working on the underground part of the new City Hall, but in the coming months, we will start to see the first-floor construction process. As each floor gets built, the panels will be placed on the building. So, short answer: We will see the first signs of the outside of our City Hall in the near future.
