Exploring Key Technologies for Achieving High Openness Rates in UHPC Shapes

Sculpting light and shadow through technology, using UHPC to shape the infinite possibilities of architectural art.

At the intersection of contemporary architectural aesthetics and engineering technology, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is becoming the core medium for achieving highly perforated architectural art, thanks to its outstanding mechanical properties and design freedom. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group has leveraged its full-chain technical capabilities to develop a solution for highly perforated UHPC forms that balances structural safety with artistic expressiveness, providing innovative solutions for premium projects such as landmark buildings and cultural venues.

I. Material Properties of Highly Perforated UHPC and Breakthroughs in Technical Challenges

UHPC itself offers ultra-high compressive strength (≥150MPa), excellent toughness, and durability, with its fiber-reinforced system providing a structural foundation for thin-walled and perforated designs. However, achieving a high perforation ratio (with local perforated areas reaching 30%-50%) still faces three major technical challenges: structural stability control, precision forming processes, and installation accuracy assurance. Through 28 years of engineering practice, Qinglong has established a full-process technical system ranging from material formulation optimization to digital construction. For example, in the Nanjing East Road Century Plaza renovation project, UHPC light-transmitting concrete was used to create an ultra-large-span perforated curtain wall. Verified through BIM simulation and mechanical calculations, the perforated structure successfully reduced self-weight by 40% while meeting wind pressure resistance and seismic requirements.

II. Digital Design and Parametric Modeling: The Precision Code of Highly Perforated Forms

The complexity of highly perforated UHPC components places extreme demands on design. Relying on the R&D capabilities of its provincial-level engineering technology center, Qinglong has deeply integrated parametric design (Rhino+Grasshopper) with BIM technology, achieving algorithm-based generation of perforated patterns and structural topology optimization. Taking the facade of a grand theater as an example, by building a parametric model of the perforated units, porosity, aperture distribution, and rib dimensions can be adjusted in real time, while finite element analysis ensures the mechanical balance of each perforated node. This digital design approach enabled the Dongguan Women and Children's Activity Center project to keep the machining precision of irregularly shaped perforated components within ±2mm, improving installation efficiency by 30%.

III. Industrialized Production and Quality Control: Seamless Connection from Laboratory to Construction Site

As a national-level high-tech enterprise, Qinglong has established modular production lines at its production base in Nanning, Guangxi, equipped with automated spreading machines, vacuum vibration systems, and steam curing kilns to ensure the consistency of highly perforated UHPC components. To address issues such as air bubbles and cracking that perforated structures are prone to, the R&D team optimized the steel fiber content (2%-3% by volume) and superplasticizer ratios, achieving a surface flatness of 0.5mm/m for components. Each component is embedded with an RFID chip for full life-cycle traceability, and together with testing of indicators such as flexural strength (≥20MPa) and frost resistance (no damage after 300 cycles) by third-party testing agencies, this provides reliable quality assurance for projects.

IV. Full-Chain Service Empowerment: Expert Support from Concept to Implementation

With its full-chain service capabilities covering "design development - manufacturing - construction and installation - after-sales maintenance," Qinglong helps clients solve the implementation challenges of highly perforated UHPC projects. In a commercial complex project in Guangzhou, the technical team got involved early in the design phase, providing one-stop services from material selection advice and structural verification to detailed design of installation nodes, achieving precise alignment between perforated components and the steel structure substrate through 3D scanning positioning technology. This "technology + service" model shortened the project schedule by 25% and earned high praise from the client for "a perfect balance of artistic form and engineering safety."

From the relief decorations of classical architecture to the parametric skins of modern buildings, highly perforated UHPC shaping technology is redefining the aesthetic boundaries of architecture. As a participant in setting UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP industry standards, Qinglong Group will continue to drive breakthroughs in material applications through technological innovation, providing designers and owners with customized solutions that combine artistic value with engineering feasibility, bringing more "lightweight yet resilient" architectural visions to reality.