The new technical data sheet on precast
fair-faced ­concrete elements

Concrete is one of the most versatile construction materials of our time. As structural building material it is comprehensively standardized and regulated. But concrete often also serves for designing buildings. Fair-faced concrete is referred to when requirements on the appearance of concrete surfaces are defined already in the planning stage and if these will later be permanently visible in the building. Requirements on fair-faced concrete are therefore characterized by expectations on the design and are part of the architectural design itself. The design possibilities for fair-faced concrete are very varied and extensive. Specifications relating to the design therefore require a very precise description and close coordination between planning and implementation. Practice has shown that often not the entire range of design possibilities is drawn upon. Instead, the expectation is often a “ beautiful concrete.“ Here, the fair-faced concrete classes SB 1 to SB 4 introduced in the DBV/VDZ technical data sheet on fair-faced concrete “Merkblatt Sichtbeton” has in the past two decades often proved helpful for describing fair-faced concrete surfaces. A fair-faced concrete class conractually agreed between client and contractor is a standardized description of the fair-faced concrete surface which in a well-balanced way takes into consideration both the different quality requirements of the fair-faced concrete properties that are technically achievable with the usual amount of effort. These fair-faced concrete classes are often also applied in precast construction, although their requirements are derived from in-situ concrete construction and precast-specific topics are insufficiently considered. This point the new technical data sheet on fair-faced concrete takes up by supplementing the established
fair-faced concrete classes by specific requirements for precast construction. The recommendations on planning and implementation addresses moreover the parties involved in the construction.