Concrete Making a Comeback in NYC Construction

In today’s world of construction, steel has usually been the standard for modern-looking high rise office buildings. But lately, concrete has become the building material of choice for many NYC construction projects — and there are plenty of reasons why.

Design Trends

For a long time, tenants of office buildings wanted features like dropped ceilings, carpeted floors, and corner offices. However, tenants now want a more exposed feel in their building’s structural design. When buildings are made of steel, the beams need to be covered in layers of fire-proof materials, leaving the ceilings made from ugly, rigid material. When concrete is used to make a building, the ceilings have a more appealing finish and give a sense of authenticity to the space.

Cost

Simply put, concrete is cheaper to build with than steel is. Besides the material itself being cheaper to work it, it’s also less expensive to higher concrete pourers than it is to higher steelworkers, especially when working on high rise buildings. And even if a particular building is more costly to build with concrete, it still usually is a bigger pro than con. Concrete floors can be thinner than steel ones, allowing for higher ceilings which tenants will pay a premium for.

Convenience

Steel-based building plans take months to come up with and are very difficult to change once they get started. Concrete-based plans can be altered up until the moment before the material is poured —  builders simply adjust the mold they’re using. Projects can be done more quickly, as well, since concrete is faster to work with.

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