The eight-story project in downtown Philadelphia is one of a new wave of long-awaited residential and retail high-rises aimed at reinvigorating the downtown area. The building, which will have 110 loft-style apartments and 21,000 square feet of street-level retail space, is being built by Liber Brothers Construction who have been using Smooth-On rubber molds for years.
For the precast facade elements, molds were made with Smooth-On's Brush-On® 50 mold rubber, which has superior physical and performance properties. The rubber mold is carefully engineered to the required profile and dimension. Unlike timber formwork, it can be reused very many times with minimal distortion or damage. Upon delivery to the site, the precast facade will be lifted by crane to the designed position, secured with temporary bracing and fixed into position.
Smooth-On's Brush-On® 50 mold rubber is applied to the model along with a support shell.
Once mold is completed, a fiberglass resin casting is laid up and allow to cure.
Casting is demolded from the rubber mold. The flexibility of the rubber allows for an easier demold.
Casting reflects perfect detail from the Brush-On® 50 mold rubber.
Because the panel is thin-walled, this greatly decreases the overall weight of the cast.
Final stages of clean-up, then ready to ship to the construction site.
The finished installed facade.
