Uppal Enterprises, a developer using concrete instead of traditional wood-frame construction, is promoting “by design” the long-lasting enjoyment of Circle Pines' wooded environs in Minnesota. At Village Plaza — part of Village at Circle Pines, a mixed-use development project 15 miles north of Minneapolis — precast hollow core plank and cast-in-place concrete members add up to a functional, flexible and appealing structure. According to Uppal Enterprises, Village Plaza is the largest Midwestern apartment complex utilizing this type of construction, whose prevalence has long been limited to basement structures and to hurricane states.

Patterned after virtually all of the buildings in their native India, note father and son business partners Sohan and Vik Uppal, concrete structures offer incomparable fire-safety, sound-proofing, and insulation qualities. In many parts of the world, the Uppals contend, the continued success of concrete buildings can be observed: typically attractive in appearance, they are able to endure the test of time, often lasting hundreds of years.

Uppal Enterprises' first project using hollow core design was Garden Lane, a four-level, 48-unit apartment building in Shakopee, Minn. Noteworthy in 2002 for the North American introduction of 16-in. hollow core plank by precast supplier Molin Concrete Products in Lino Lakes, Minn., the project set the standard for subsequent Uppal Enterprises construction. The 16-in.-deep profile, produced by means of PCE Elematic's EL 900 E extruder with 16-in. nozzle, enabled floor and roof spans up to 62 ft.

Likewise, Village Plaza features 16-in. hollow core floor plank supplied by Molin Concrete. As spans reach 64 feet, no interior bearing support columns or walls are needed, providing greater design flexibility. While initial costs are 10 to 15 percent higher than traditional wood-frame construction, the return on investment is significant. Vik Uppal affirms, “The buildings are virtually burn-proof, which lowers insurance rates. The heating costs are lower. And, the residents enjoy a sense of community without any sound annoyance.”

The four-story structure features two wings. The North Wing will accommodate 13,000 ft. of first-floor commercial/retail space, crowned by three stories featuring 56 units of rental senior housing. The West Wing will have two stories and separate, exterior entries, front yards with patios/stoops, and a common corridor and elevator. Sixteen three-bedroom townhouses will have access to underground heated parking, as well as surface parking.

Uppal believes that construction of this type is ripe for widespread growth in the Twin Cities area. Increasing awareness of the long-term benefits of precast building methods, in addition to a strong market for multi-family dwellings, he predicts, will stimulate interest and investment.