Welcome to the first Encon United Blog entry.  We are going to be covering a verity of detailed and in depth topics about precast / prestressed concrete.  These should cover everything from architectural appearances to design topics.  If you have any subjects you would like to know more about please feel free to suggest them.  This week I would like to talk about one of the most widely used architectural elements, reveals. 

Reveals are negative space in a panel used to break up large areas or create interesting geometric designs on panels.  They can be used to separate colors, finishes or textures in panels.  Reveals can also become architectural features in the panel when made wider than normal and different finishes are applied to them.

The typical precast reveal is ¾” to ½” deep and ¾” to 1” wide.  The sides are usually drafted to facilitate the stripping of panels.  Most any size and shape can be created, as long as the panel can still be stripped from the pouring bed.  Reveals can also be continued on the sides of panels by returning up the sides of forms.  False reveals can also be created at panel joint to mimic other reveals on the project.

The reveals in forms are made from many types of materials.  In very repetitive forms they can be made out of steel and permanently attached to the bed.  The most common material used for a reveal is poplar.  It is a fast growing hard wood, which is resistant to moisture absorption.  These typically are installed on a fiber glassed bed and can be reused with each pour of the bed lasting as long as the life of the form.  

For more information on Reveals please see the PCI Designers Notebook.