Sustainable Design

of Buildings by
Post-Tensioning Concrete
Case study illustrates how system can minimize cost and
environmental impact
by Pawan R. Gupta and C. Nicholas Watry

ost-tensioned (PT) concrete is an elegant combination

of complementary materials: high-strength steel and
concrete. Used to pre-compress the concrete, the
high-strength steel takes advantage of concretes high
compressive strength and compensates for concretes low
tensile strength (only about 10% of its compressive
strength). As a result, the prestressing steel and concrete
create a structural member that can effectively resist both
compressive and tensile forces.
As compared with traditional reinforced concrete (RC)
design, PT construction can offer significant savings in
materials, providing not only reduced initial cost but also
reduced embodied energy for the structure. Yet, these are
achieved without compromising functionality, durability,
or architectural elegance (Fig. 1).

Systematic Savings

Structural demands
Figure 22 shows the components and construction
sequence for a typical unbonded PT slab. Table 11 gives the
commonly used span-to-depth ratios for PT and RC floor
systems in buildings.
An independent survey of existing RC and PT floor
systems was conducted by PCA in 1982.3 The findings
showed that for a 30 x 30 ft (9 x 9 m) bay size, a PT floor
system is about 20% thinner than an RC floor system
TENDON

DEAD END ANCHOR

TENDON SUPPORT

INTERMEDIATE ANCHOR

STRESSING END ANCHOR

COMPONENTS OF UNBONDED POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM

HYDRAULIC PUMP

(6)CUT EXCESS STRAND,

GROUT WITH NON-SHRINK
GROUT

(2) PLACE CONCRETE

(4)PLACE WEDGES
(3)REMOVE FORMER

(5) STRESS AND ANCHOR STRAND

(1)PLACE TENDON, NAIL ANCHORS

TO FORMWORK
CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE FOR UNBONDED POST-TENSIONED SLAB

Fig. 1: An example of the architectural versatility offered by a

post-tensioned floor1

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october 2012 Concrete international

Fig. 2: Components and construction sequence for an unbonded

post-tensioned slab2

material costs of shoring the floor, but it also opens lower

floors for early installation of interior finishes and systems,
minimizing the time required to complete and occupy the
building. Figure 3 shows an example of a post-tensioned
apartment complex with only two levels of shoring.

(Table 2). The study also showed that PT concrete slabs

generally contain 30 to 50% less steel than RC members
designed for equivalent load, span, and performance.
Using the material quantities from the 1982 study and
assuming current 2012 costs of $175/yd3 for placed
concrete, $0.90/lb for placed reinforcing bars, and $2.30/lb
for placed and stressed PT steel, the unit cost for a PT floor
system results in a cost savings of almost $1.11 to $1.72/ft2
($11.94 to $18.51/m2) as compared to an RC floor system
(Table 2). But, the savings dont end there, as reduced
structural depth can lead to reduced building height and
reductions in the costs of related building components
such as plumbing, electrical systems, and curtain walls. In
multistory buildings, the reduced structural depth can
permit the addition of one or more floors with no increase
in total building height. In the case of underground structures,
reduced structural depth can lead to reductions in the
costs of excavation, soil retention systems, dewatering,
and waterproofing.
Construction demands
High-rise buildings can be constructed very quickly
using PT concrete. Rapid floor construction cycles are
achieved through the use of standard design details that
minimize congestion of prestressed and nonprestressed
reinforcement as well as the use of high early-strength
concrete. The latter allows early stripping of formwork,
commonly allowing 2- to 4-day construction cycles per
floor for residential and commercial construction.
PT also reduces the amount of shoring required as
compared to traditional RC construction. As soon as the
slab has gained sufficient strength (usually within 2 to
4 days), strands are stressed, allowing the slab to support
its self-weight, as well as additional loads imposed during
the construction of the upper floors. Its common to see
only two or three levels of shoring in PT construction. Of
course, minimizing shoring reduces the direct labor and

Fig. 3: A view of a PT apartment building under construction. With

the exception of localized shoring around large openings, only
two levels of shoring are needed (photo courtesy of Suncoast Post-Tension)

Table 1:

Typical span-depth ratios for reinforced concrete

and post-tensioned slabs (after Reference 1)
Typical
span-depth ratio
Floor system

PT

RC

One-way slab

48

21 to 28

Two-way slab

45

33

Two-way slab with drop panels

(minimum drop panel L/6 each way)

50

36

Table 2:

Cost comparison of RC and PT floor systems, using material quantities from Reference 3
Costs

Material quantities per ft2

Bay size,
ft x ft

Slab
thickness,
in.

Span-tothickness
ratio

Concrete,
in.

30 x 30

10+4

36

10.3

Reinforcing
bars,
lb

PT steel,
lb

Concrete,
$/ft2

Steel, $/ft2

Total, $/ft2

5.56

3.60

9.16

RC floor system
*

PT floor System
30 x 30

8.5

42.4

8.6

0.8

0.9

4.65

2.79

7.44

30 x 30

45

8.2

1.6

0.95

4.42

3.63

8.05

Slab thickness of 10 in. and drop slab thickness of 4 in.

Concrete required for an 8 x 8 ft drop slab is roughly equivalent to 0.3 in. additional slab thickness over the full bay
(Note: 1 ft = 0.3 m; 1 in. = 25.4 mm; 1 lb = 0.45 kg; 1 yd3 = 0.76 m3)

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Limitations

Unbonded PT construction is a relatively new technology

developed in North America in the early 1960s. Although
many improvements have been made throughout its
history, there remain a number of issues that the structural
engineer must consider.
Restraint cracking
Inducing compression in a concrete floor increases
shrinkage and creep effects. Unbonded PT slabs have a
small amount of bonded reinforcing steel, so they have
limited ability to effectively distribute the cracks that
may be caused by restraint to shrinkage. Special care is
needed in design and construction to allow the slab to
shorten freely and mitigate the possibility of restraint
cracking. Restraint can lead to unsightly cracks that
could result in durability issues.
Experienced structural engineers often work closely
with architects to locate stiff lateral load resisting elements
near the middle of the structure. This allows the floor
plate to shorten toward the middle from all four sides.
Sometimes special detailing is used to allow the floors to
move freely relative to lateral load-resisting elements
during the first few months after concrete placement. The
structure is then locked together to allow it to move as a
unit after a majority of the shrinkage in the concrete
has occurred.
Corrosion protection
The high-strength steel used in unbonded PT construction
is not in direct contact with the surrounding concrete and
is therefore susceptible to corrosion if water can reach it.

RESIDENTIAL

RESIDENTIAL

TRANSVERSE SECTION A-A

Fig. 4: Transverse cross section of the 10-story apartment

building. The 10th level serves as recreational space
but was designed as a typical floor for this example
(1 ft = 0.3 m; 1 in. = 25.4 mm)

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Whereas some early unbonded PT systems did have

corrosion issues, significant progress has been made to
improve the durability of PT systems in the last 50 years.
Systems now use extruded strands with ends that are fully
encapsulated in a plastic. This prevents ingress of water and
electrically isolates the steel, preventing the formation of
galvanic cells between adjacent steel elements. This significantly reduces the risk of corrosion and increases
the long-term durability of the post-tensioning systems.
Modern PT systems are considered to be more durable
compared with traditional construction systems and are
commonly used in the most aggressive conditions.
Strength gain and schedule
Post-tensioning makes effective use of high-strength
materials, but the concrete must typically reach 3000 psi
(20 MPa) before the tendons can be stressed. In the past,
the slow strength gain in concrete mixtures with large
supplementary cementitious material (SCM) contents made
such mixtures unsuitable for PT construction. However,
advances in concrete technology now make it possible to
develop concrete mixtures with 30 to 50% cement replacement that are capable of achieving 3000 psi (20 MPa) in
2 days. This allows designers the flexibility to extend the
benefits of PT to concrete with SCMs and further reduce
the total amount of cement used in a structure.

A Case Study

The advantages of PT are demonstrated using a comparative

study on a 10-story condominium building designed for
high seismic forces.4 Using the same architectural layout
and structural design criteria, the building was designed
with RC and with PT concrete floors. The total amounts
of materials were determined for both options, and costs
were calculated using data obtained from contractors in
Northern California.
The building is supported on pile foundations and
consists of two levels of parking below an eight-story
residential tower (Fig. 4). Figure 5 shows the typical plan
of the parking and plaza levels. Each of the parking levels
was designed to accommodate 55 cars. The floor area for
each level was 22,360 ft2 (2077 m2), including vehicle
access ramps. The plaza level was designed for assembly
loading. Figure 6 shows the typical plan for the floors in the
residential tower. The floor area for each residential level
was 9250 ft2 (859 m2), including balconies.

RC design
For the RC design, floors were designed as flat plates
reinforced with deformed bars. The elevated parking deck
floor was designed as a 9.5 in. (240 mm) thick plate with
4.5 lb/ft2 (22 kg/m2) of reinforcing steel. Because of higher
load requirements for the plaza, the floor plate at the plaza
level required a slab depth of 14 in. (356 mm) and 7.5 lb/ft2
(36.6 kg/m2) of reinforcing steel. Typical residential floors

TYPICAL PARKING LEVEL

Fig. 5: Typical parking level plan (1 ft = 0.3 m; 1 in. = 25.4 mm)

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL LEVEL PLAN

4-2BR +5 1BR -9 UNITS

Fig. 6: Typical residential level plan (1 ft = 0.3 m; 1 in. = 25.4 mm)

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Table 3:

Steel and concrete quantities and approximate costs for example building designed as reinforced concrete
Deformed bar weight
Unit, lb

Total,
lb

Concrete
quantity, yd3

Element

Area, ft2

Thickness, in.

Column
length, ft

Slab-on-ground

22,360

10.0

4.0/ft2

89,440

690

Columns
(square)

24.0

2166

85.0/ft

184,110

321

Shear walls

31,707

18.0

18.0/ft2

570,726

1762

Parking slab

22,360

9.5

4.5/ft

100,620

656

Plaza slab

22,360

14.0

7.5/ft2

167,700

966

Residential slabs

74,004

9.5

4.5/ft

333,018

2170

Building totals

1,445,615

6564

Cost

$1,301,053

$1,148,700

Total cost

$2,449,783

(Note: 1 ft2 = 0.09 m2; 1 in. = 25.4 mm; 1 ft = 0.3 m; 1 lb/ft2 = 4.882 kg/m2; 1 lb = 0.45 kg; 1 yd3 = 0.76 m3)

Table 4:

Steel and concrete quantities and approximate costs for example building designed as the PT concrete
Deformed bar
weight

Post-tensioning
steel weight

Column
length, ft

Unit, lb

Total, lb

Unit, lb/ft2

Total, lb

Concrete
quantity,
yd3

Element

Area, ft2

Thickness,
in.

Slab-onground

22,360

10.0

4.0/ft2

89,440

690

Columns
(square)

20.0

2166

65.0/ft

140,790

223

Shear walls

31,707

18.0

15.0/ft2

475,605

1762

Parking slab

22,360

7.5

2.8/ft

61,490

0.75

16,770

518

Plaza sab

22,360

11.0

4.0/ft2

89,440

1.10

24,596

759

Residential
slabs

74,004

7.5

2.8/ft2

203,511

0.75

55,503

1713

96,869

5664

$222,799

$991,243

Building totals

1,060,276

Cost

$954,248

Total cost

$2,168,290

(Note: 1 ft2 = 0.09 m2; 1 in. = 25.4 mm; 1 ft = 0.3 m; 1 lb/ft2 = 4.882 kg/m2; 1 lb = 0.45 kg; 1 yd3 = 0.76 m3)

were designed as 9.5 in. (240 mm) thick flat plates with
4.5 lb/ft2 (22 kg/m2) of reinforcing steel. As noted in Table 3,
the required reinforcing steel totals 1,445,615 lb (655,720 kg)
and the concrete totals 6564 yd3 (5019 m3). Using unit
costs of $0.90/lb for placed reinforcing steel and $175/yd3 for
placed concrete, the total material cost for the RC building,
excluding foundations, is $2.45 million.
PT concrete design
For the PT concrete design, the elevated parking floor was
designed as a 7.5 in. (191 mm) thick flat plate with about
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2.8 lb/ft2 (13.7 kg/m2) of reinforcing steel and 0.75 lb/ft2

(3.7 kg/m2) of prestressing steel. The plaza slab was
designed as an 11 in. (279 mm) thick flat plate with 4.0 lb/ft2
(19.5 kg/m2) of reinforcing steel and 1.1 lb/ft2 (5.4 kg/m2)
of prestressing steel. Typical residential slabs were designed
as 7.5 in. thick flat plates with 2.8 lb/ft2 of reinforcing steel
and 0.75 lb/ft2 of prestressing steel. As noted in Table 4, the
deformed bars and post-tensioning steel total 1,060,276
and 96,869 lb (480,933 and 43,939 kg), respectively, and
the concrete totals 5664 yd3 (4330 m3). Using unit costs
of $0.90/lb for placed reinforcing steel, $2.30/lb for

prestressing steel, and $175/yd3 for placed concrete, the total

material cost for the PT building is $2.17 million.
Material savings
The typical PT floor was almost 20% thinner than the
typical RC floor, and the total amount of steel used in the
PT option was almost 30% less than the total steel used in
the RC option. Relative to the RC design, the PT concrete
design provided a 900 yd3 (691 m3) reduction in concrete
required to construct the building. Assuming that a typical
concrete mixture has a cement content of about 600 lb/yd3
(355 kg/m3), this results in a reduction in the amount of
cement required to construct the building of 270 tons
(245 tonnes), or 3.83 lb/ft2 (18.7 kg/m2).
Thinner slabs also resulted in almost 20% reduction
in the total dead weight of the structure. The reduced weight
provided significant reductions in seismic forces on the
structure, resulting in 20% savings in reinforcing steel for
the shear walls. Typical columns sizes were also reduced from
24 x 24 in. (601 x 610 mm) for the RC option to 20 x 20 in.
(508 x 508 mm) for the PT option. Although not considered
in this study, the savings in concreteabout 16%would
reduce the loads and sizes of the foundation elements.
The 16% reduction in the amount of concrete resulted
in a 16% cost savings. The cost savings for steel were less
about 10%because the material and installation costs for
post-tensioning steel are higher than those for mild steel
reinforcing bars.
Lifetime savings
Relative to the RC design, the PT concrete design
provided a total reduction of 23 in. (584 mm) in structural
depth over the height of the building. If we assume that the
typical floor/floor height of a building is 9.7 ft (3 m), it can
be extrapolated that a PT building would allow an extra
floor (relative to a RC building) for every 50 stories, with no
increase in building height. If building height is restricted,
as it is in many cities, this can allow for an almost 2%
increase in rentable space.
Because the PT option reduces the total building height
by almost 2%, it directly reduces the amount of cladding
required. In a commercial or a residential building reduction
in the volume of the building also reduces the load on the
heating and air conditioning units, directly reducing the
yearly operating costs for the building.

A Valid Alternative

Post-tensioning has the potential to impact the push

toward sustainable construction. As illustrated in the
example, PT buildings use about 20% less concrete and
25 to 40% less steel than similar RC buildings. This
translates into thinner floors, lower floor-to-floor heights,
and overall reduction in height of the buildings. The
reduced height also improves the energy efficiency by
reducing the volume of the space that needs to be heated

during the winter and air-conditioned during the summer.

Cost savings are achieved by reduced use of resources
during initial construction and additional energy conservation
over the life-cycle of the buildings, thus significantly reducing
the carbon footprint of the structure.
With potentially significant cost advantages and energy
savings, structural engineers and developers would do well
to consider post-tensioning as an alternative to traditional
steel or RC construction.
References
1. Post-Tensioning Manual, sixth edition, P.R. Gupta, ed., Post-Tensioning
Institute, Phoenix, AZ, 2006, 254 pp.
2. Collins, M.P., and Mitchell, D., Prestressed Concrete Structures,
Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1991, 766 pp.
3. Fintel, M., and Ghosh, S.K., Economics of Long-Span Concrete
Slab Systems for Office BuildingsA Survey, Concrete International,
V. 5, No. 2, Feb. 1983, pp. 21-34.
4. Watry, C.N., Certifying a Post-Tensioned Concrete Building for
Sustainability by the LEED Rating Program, Presented at PostTensioning Institute Technical Conference, Reno, NV, 2006.
Selected for reader interest by the editors.

Pawan R. Gupta, FACI, is a Senior

Restorations Project Manager for Walker
Restoration Consultants, Los Angeles,
CA. He has been involved in the design,
repair, and rehabilitation of post-tensioned
facilities in the United States and Canada
for the last 15 years. He is a member of
ACI Committees 437, Strength Evaluation
of Existing Concrete; 364, Rehabilitation;
and 440, Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement; and
ACI-ASCE Joint Committee 423, Prestressed Concrete. He is
active in several professional organizations, including the
ASCE-SEI New Orleans Chapter. Gupta received his PhD from
the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
C. Nicholas Watry is founder of what is now known as Watry
Design, Inc. He has over 45 years of experience in design and
construction of post-tensioned structures. He is on the faculty
of the Construction Management Department of the College
of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly
University, San Luis Obispo, CA, where his main teaching
assignments include Integrated Project Services (Design/
Build), Fundamentals of Construction Management, LargeScale Structures, and Post-Tensioned Concrete. He has
received numerous awards, including being an inaugural
inductee of the Post-Tensioning Institutes Hall of Fame
Legends of Post-Tensioning in 2004.

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