BS 8297:2017

BSI Standards Publication

Design, manufacture and installation

of architectural precast concrete —
Code of practice
BS 8297:2017 BRITISH STANDARD

Publishing and copyright information

The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the document was last issued.
© The British Standards Institution 2017
Published by BSI Standards Limited 2017
ISBN 978 0 580 94556 4

ICS 91.060.10
The following BSI references relate to the work on this document:
Committee reference B/524
Draft for comment 17/30342957 DC

Amendments/corrigenda issued since publication

Date Text affected

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BRITISH STANDARD BS 8297:2017

Contents Page

Foreword iii
Introduction 1
1 Scope 2
2 Normative references 2
3 Terms and definitions 5
4 Materials and components 7
4.1 Customer requirements 7
4.2 Specifications for materials and components 8
4.3 Steel 9
Table 1 — Recommended grades of austenitic or Duplex (Austenitic/ferritic) stainless steel used
for fixings 9
Table 2 — Recommended grades of fasteners 10
4.4 Materials for jointing and pointing 11
4.5 Flashings, weatherings and cavity trays 11
4.6 Coating agents 11
5 Design of cladding units 12
5.1 General 12
5.2 Structural design 12
5.3 Thickness of concrete cover to reinforcement 13
5.4 Fire-resisting wall units 14
5.5 Support conditions and bending moments 14
Figure 1 — Assumptions for design of units and corbels/brackets 16
5.6 Sizes of units including thickness 17
5.7 Movement and tolerances 17
5.8 Dimensional stability 18
5.9 Accommodation of dimensional changes 18
Table 3 — Coefficients of thermal expansion of buildings materials 19
Table 4 — Extreme temperatures of UK structures 19
Table 5 — Rate of shrinkage of concrete (as a percentage of its potential) 21
5.10 Other factors affecting design 21
5.11 Passive fire protection to resist the spread of fire 23
5.12 Signs and attachments to cladding units 23
5.13 Thermal insulation 24
5.14 Acoustic properties 24
6 Position and detail of joints 24
6.1 General 24
6.2 Movement joints 25
6.3 Compression joints 25
6.4 Sealed joints 25
6.5 Open drained joints 26
Figure 2 — Examples of jointing details 27
Figure 3 — Open drained joint with plain baffle 28
6.6 Impregnated foam sealing strips and sealing strips 28
7 Support and attachment of units to the structure 29
7.1 Support 29
7.2 Methods of attachment 29
7.3 Design of fixings 29
Figure 4 — Typical restraint fixing to concrete structure — vertical section 30

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BS 8297:2017 BRITISH STANDARD

Figure 5 — Typical restrain fixing to steel structure — plan 30

8 Surface finish of cladding units 33
8.1 Precast concrete 33
8.2 Stone-faced units 34
Figure 6 — Typical details of fixing pins for stone faced concrete units 35
8.3 Reconstructed stone faced units 35
8.4 Brick-faced units 35
8.5 Tile and brick slip faced units 36
8.6 Finishes sample and inspections 36
9 Manufacture 37
9.1 General 37
9.2 Casting, curing and inspection 37
9.3 Tolerances and accuracy 37
Table 6 — Permissible deviations in the manufacture of cladding units 37
9.4 Removal of cast concrete units from moulds 38
9.5 Marking 38
10 Handling and transportation of cladding units 38
10.1 Handling 38
10.2 Design of lifting points 38
10.3 Protection against damage 39
10.4 Storage 39
10.5 Transportation of units to the site 39
11 On‑site erection and fixing 39
11.1 General 39
11.2 Storage of materials on site 40
11.3 Erection of cladding units 40
11.4 Bedding, jointing and sealing 42
11.5 Accuracy of erection 42
11.6 Final fixing 43
11.7 Protection of finished work 43
11.8 Site repairs 44
11.9 Cleaning on completion of work 44
12 Performance testing of cladding units 45
12.1 Test procedures 45
12.2 Test requirements 47
13 Inspection and maintenance 48
13.1 General 48
13.2 Cracks and crazing 48
13.3 Joints 49
13.4 Joint seals 49
13.5 Surface cleaning 49
13.6 Coating agents 49
Annex A (normative) Checklists for the exchange of information 51
Bibliography 54

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, and inside front cover, pages i to iv, pages 1 to 55, an inside back cover and
a back cover.

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BRITISH STANDARD BS 8297:2017

Foreword
Publishing information
This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British
Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 October 2017. It was prepared by Technical
Committee B/524, Precast concrete products. A list of organizations represented on this committee
can be obtained on request to its secretary.

Supersession
This British Standard supersedes BS 8297:2000, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

This is a full revision of the standard, and introduces the following principal changes:
• clarification of scope;
• updated terms and definitions;
• dimensions for certain components;
• describes the provisions necessary for the cladding to perform its function saticfactorily; and
• gives the minium standards required of materials and methods to be employed.

Presentational conventions
The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its recommendations are
expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “should”.
Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does
not constitute a normative element.
The word “should” is used to express recommendations of this standard. The word “may” is used in
the text to express permissibility, e.g. as an alternative to the primary recommendation of the clause.
The word “can” is used to express possibility, e.g. a consequence of an action or an event.
Notes and commentaries are provided throughout the text of this standard. Notes give references
and additional information that are important but do not form part of the recommendations.
Commentaries give background information.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are
responsible for its correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

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BS 8297:2017 BRITISH STANDARD

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BRITISH STANDARD BS 8297:2017

Introduction
This British Standard has been developed to give recommendations and good practice for specifiers
and manufacturers during the design, manufacture, transport and installation of architectural precast
concrete units.
Framed structures are often enclosed by precast concrete panels.These in turn frequently serve an
architectural role in providing the external appearance of the building. In such instances, the panels
are generically referred to as cladding. As well as providing the external envelope of a building,
similar precast concrete units might also be used for other purposes, such as decorative columns,
either loadbearing or not, balconies, and other substantial elements. Where units provide the
weathertight external envelope of a building, water and airtightness is ensured by appropriate design
and treatment of the joints between the units.
Units are required to carry their own weight and also any directly or indirectly imposed loadings.
Units are also required to resist wind loading, provide weather protection, acoustic and thermal
performance. They might also need to provide fire resistance and be resistant to accidental damage,
e.g. vehicle impact and internal or external explosion. Their construction needs to allow for the
dimensional tolerances of construction and movement of the building structure during its designed
lifetime. Where units are loadbearing, they need to be able to transmit loads as part of the structure.
Strength, durability and versatility are the inherent characteristics of precast concrete. This type
of precast concrete is almost inevitably bespoke, by virtue of its shape and size, colour and texture,
finishes or facings, to achieve the specified aesthetic requirements of individual building projects. The
manufacturing process is non-repetitive and might not lend itself to automation. The weight and size
of units can also be critical. Involving the manufacturer at the design stage can therefore often lead to
more efficient production and optimization of the fixing system.

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