PCI of Illinois & Wisconsin producer member Wells is teaching a one-hour webinar on October 29 about two materials that let precast facades go thinner, sharper, and more complex: high performance concrete (HPC) and ultra high performance concrete (UHPC). The session is presented with The Architect’s Newspaper.
What the session covers
Kelly Henry, Director of Project Development at Wells, compares HPC and UHPC with conventional precast concrete and explains where each one fits. Both materials add durability, strength, and workability, which allows thinner profiles, finer detailing, and geometries that are hard to reach with a standard mix.
The session also looks at early collaboration. When the designer and the precaster talk before the drawings are fixed, a custom mix and a tailored panel can solve a design problem at a cost the project can carry. Case studies show how these facades perform under demanding architectural and environmental conditions.
What you will take away
By the end of the hour, attendees can:
- Describe HPC and UHPC performance and how custom mix designs are tailored to aesthetic and structural needs
- Tell conventional precast concrete apart from HPC and UHPC systems in composition, performance, and architectural use
- Name the design strategies these materials make possible, including lightweight rainscreen systems, deep reliefs, and thin, complex geometries
- Judge whether a project suits HPC or UHPC based on budget, design intent, and technical constraints
- Review case studies of HPC and UHPC facades, with attention to performance, sustainability, and architectural impact
Who should attend
Architects, engineers, and specifiers who are weighing a facade material, and anyone on the owner or contractor side who wants to understand what these mixes make possible. Attendees earn 1 LU/HSW.
Beyond the Surface: Design Innovation with U-HPC + HPC Facades
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 12 PM Central
Presented by Wells in partnership with The Architect’s Newspaper