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At The Commons Richmond at 33 Cremorne Street, Cremorne, Euro Precast transformed a complex four-level brick facade into a repeatable offsite manufacturing process, balancing intricate architectural detailing with the demands of a tight construction programme.
Case study supplied by the National Precast Association of Australia
The Commons Richmond is a workplace and wellness development in Melbourne’s inner-east, designed by Australian practice DesignOffice. The building combines flexible workspace with health and wellness facilities, with an architectural approach based around natural materials, curved forms and a restrained palette of timber, cork and concrete. (main image: The brick-faced precast facade at The Commons Richmond. Euro Precast manufactured the facade elements using integrated brick inlays and custom moulds to achieve the building’s detailed masonry appearance. Credit all images, Daniel Bordan.)
Externally, brickwork plays an important role in the building’s architectural expression. Delivering that intent across a multi-level facade, however, required a solution capable of combining the appearance and detailing of traditional masonry with the speed and repeatability of offsite manufacture.
National Precast member Euro Precast manufactured and supplied approximately 600 precast elements across 13 levels at 33 Cremorne Street, including columns, panels and core panels. Its scope also included 335 brick-faced precast spandrels, columns and panels forming the building’s distinctive four-level brick facade.
The challenge was achieving the appearance of traditional masonry across hundreds of separate precast elements. The design called for no exposed brick edges, while stepped spandrels and adjoining elements needed to maintain a seamless flow of brickwork across the facade.
For Euro Precast, this meant converting complex architectural detailing into a practical and repeatable manufacturing process.
From complex geometry to repeatable manufacture
One of the main manufacturing challenges was developing the moulds for the stepped brick spandrels.
The moulds needed to accurately reproduce the stepped profiles while also being capable of being disassembled after each pour, allowing the completed precast element to be lifted without damage before the mould was reassembled for the next setup.
Following detailed development of the mould design, custom rubber mould components were incorporated to achieve the required profiles. Brick inserts were positioned using a specialist brick inlay and rubber mould system before casting, integrating the brick finish directly into the precast element.
Full-scale prototyping was also important. Several prototypes were manufactured, with a facade column incorporating a cast-in channel proving particularly valuable. The prototype allowed brick placement and detailing to be assessed at full scale and provided a practical pathway to approval before production commenced.
With the methodology resolved, Euro Precast required 10 custom moulds for the facade columns and spandrels to meet the construction programme.
Manufacturing to a five-week programme
The programme called for 335 brick facade elements to be installed over approximately five weeks, placing considerable pressure on production.
Euro Precast needed to set up, pour and wash approximately 10 to 15 brick-faced precast elements each day.
Accuracy remained critical throughout that production rate. Approximately 10 mm joints between precast elements were maintained to mimic conventional brick mortar joints, requiring careful positioning so brick courses remained visually aligned across adjoining columns, panels and spandrels.
Installation of the horizontal spandrels presented another challenge. The elements were temporarily suspended until the subsequent slab pour tied them back into the structure, meaning installation tolerances needed to be accommodated without compromising the alignment of the brickwork.
The combination of mould design, prototyping, production sequencing and installation planning allowed complex facade elements to be manufactured repeatedly while maintaining the architectural detailing required across the four levels.
Moving labour-intensive work offsite
The delivery benefit extended beyond manufacturing speed.
Incorporating the brick finish into the precast elements shifted much of the labour-intensive facade work into a controlled factory environment. This removed the need to construct the equivalent four-level brick facade conventionally onsite and reduced associated scaffolding and access requirements.
It also allowed individual facade elements to be manufactured and checked before reaching site, while other construction activities could continue independently.
According to Euro Precast, onsite installation represented only a fraction of the time that would have been required if the equivalent brickwork had been laid conventionally.
For a facade involving hundreds of individually detailed elements and a compressed installation programme, transferring that work offsite provided greater certainty around production, quality and sequencing.
The completed facade at The Commons Richmond demonstrates how architectural complexity can be resolved through manufacturing rather than simplified to accommodate the construction process. By combining full-scale prototyping, custom mould development and carefully planned production, Euro Precast converted a highly detailed brick facade into a repeatable precast solution.
For the wider offsite construction sector, the project demonstrates where architectural precast can add particular value: resolving complex detailing before work reaches site, reducing labour-intensive site activities and creating a more predictable pathway from architectural intent to installation.
