Discussion and Application Analysis of Process Solutions for Achieving Complex UHPC Shapes at Low Cost

Driven by the dual forces of contemporary architectural aesthetics and engineering technology, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), with its exceptional mechanical properties and formative potential, is becoming a key material for shaping architectural artistic forms. However, achieving complex shapes often comes with high costs, and how to optimize process costs while ensuring design expressiveness has become a common topic of exploration across the industry. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group has accumulated extensive practical experience in achieving complex UHPC shapes at low cost through full-chain technology integration and process innovation, providing systematic solutions for bringing architectural creativity to life.

Cost Pain Points and Process Breakthrough Directions for Complex UHPC Shapes

The production of traditional complex UHPC components often faces problems such as high mold costs, heavy material waste, and low forming efficiency. Taking double-curved curtain walls as an example, the customization cost of traditional steel molds accounts for more than 30% of project costs, and the single-point casting process leads to production cycles as long as 15 days per piece. Through material formulation optimization and process innovation, Qinglong Group increased the fluidity of UHPC materials by 40%, and combined with its independently developed modular flexible mold system, raised mold reuse rates to 80% and reduced overall costs by 25%. In the Nanjing East Road Century Plaza renovation project, this process successfully achieved mass production of light-transmitting UHPC components, meeting nighttime lighting artistic effects while keeping unit costs at 75% of the industry average.

Full-Chain Collaboration: A Cost Control System from Design Development to Construction and Installation

As a national high-tech enterprise integrating design development, manufacturing, and construction installation, Qinglong Group has established a full-process cost control model of “digital design - lean production - modular construction.” In the design phase, BIM + parametric technology is adopted to optimize component splitting, reducing the number of molds for irregular components in the Dongguan Women and Children's Activity Center project by 35%; in the production stage, automated batching systems and steam curing processes have shortened UHPC component forming time to 8 hours, boosting production efficiency by 200%; in the construction stage, the innovative “3D scanning + prefabricated assembly” technology kept the installation precision of UHPC curtain walls within ±2mm for a commercial complex project in Shenzhen, compressing on-site construction schedules by 40%. This full-chain collaboration model enabled Qinglong to achieve overseas delivery costs for complex-shaped UHPC components 18% lower than domestic peers when undertaking a landmark project in Malaysia.

Material Synergy Innovation: Composite Application Strategies of UHPC with GRC/GRG/GRP

To meet the performance requirements of different building parts, Qinglong Group innovatively adopts composite material application solutions: UHPC is used in structural load-bearing parts to ensure strength, GRC/GRG is combined in non-load-bearing decorative surfaces to achieve texture effects, and GRP materials are applied in curved light-transmitting areas to reduce weight. This “UHPC+” composite process reduced the shaping costs of a cultural center project in Guangzhou by 30%, while meeting technical requirements of Class A fire resistance and 50-year weather resistance. As a vice chairman unit of the China GRC Association, Qinglong participated in formulating the “Technical Standard for Architectural Application of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC)” (JGJ/T423-2018), providing authoritative technical guidance for composite material applications.

Technology Empowering the Future: The Sustainable Development Path of Qinglong's UHPC Processes

Backed by a provincial-level R&D center and 58 patented technologies, Qinglong Group is exploring the industrialized production of 3D-printed UHPC components. Currently, printing precision for complex openwork components has reached 0.1mm, material utilization has increased to 95%, and construction waste has been reduced by 60% compared with traditional processes. This green intelligent manufacturing model not only responds to the national “dual carbon” strategy, but also pushes the cost control of complex UHPC shapes to new heights. From strategic partnerships with domestic real estate groups such as Poly and China Overseas to overseas projects exported to Australia and Saudi Arabia, Qinglong, guided by its values of “honesty, hard work, trust, and collaboration,” continues to provide cost-effective UHPC shaping solutions for the global construction market, practicing its corporate mission of “creating beautiful architecture.”