Exploration and Application of Low-Cost Process Solutions for Achieving Complex UHPC Shapes

In the field of contemporary architectural design, UHPC (Ultra-High Performance Concrete) has become an ideal material for achieving complex architectural aesthetics with its outstanding mechanical properties and formability. However, its high cost and technical difficulty have long restricted its widespread application in small and medium-sized projects. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in the UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials field, Qinglong Group has developed a low-cost process solution for achieving complex UHPC forms through technological innovation and full-chain optimization, providing designers and owners with solutions that combine aesthetic value with economic feasibility.

**Cost Pain Points and Industry Challenges of Complex UHPC Forms**

The realization of complex UHPC forms traditionally relies on custom molds, high-precision casting, and manual polishing, resulting in material loss rates as high as 15% or more, with mold costs accounting for 30%-40% of total project investment. Taking the hyperbolic curtain wall of a commercial complex as an example, the cost per square meter using traditional processes can reach 2,000 RMB, far exceeding the budget for ordinary decorative materials. In addition, differences in forms between projects lead to low mold reuse rates, further driving up costs. These problems have placed UHPC in small and medium-sized projects in a dilemma of being "beautiful but unaffordable," urgently requiring breakthroughs in three areas: material formulation, mold technology, and construction processes.

**Three Innovative Approaches of Qinglong's Low-Cost Process Solution**

Based on the technical accumulation of its national-level R&D center, Qinglong Group has built a cost-reduction system across three dimensions: materials, molds, and construction. In terms of material optimization, by adding industrial solid waste (such as slag powder and silica fume) to replace part of the cement, raw material costs have been reduced by 18% while ensuring a compressive strength of ≥150MPa. Meanwhile, it has developed a patented fiber dispersion technology (Patent No.: ZL2023XXXXXXXXX), reducing steel fiber usage by 15% to further control costs.

In mold innovation, Qinglong adopts "modular combined molds + 3D printing rapid prototyping" technology: for curved forms, adjustable steel modules achieve more than 80% mold reuse; for special-shaped components, 3D-printed PLA molds replace traditional wooden molds, shortening the production cycle by 50% and reducing costs by 40%. In a hollow relief project at a cultural center, this technology reduced the cost of a single mold set from 80,000 RMB to 35,000 RMB, with reuse across 3 different projects.

Optimization of the construction phase is equally critical. Qinglong's "prefabricated assembly + on-site splicing" process breaks down complex forms into standardized unit components, with 80% of the processing completed in the factory and only bolt connections and joint treatment needed on site. Compared with full on-site casting, construction efficiency is improved 3 times and labor costs are reduced by 60%. In the hyperbolic UHPC sunshade panel project of a landmark in Nanjing, this process achieved a single-day installation volume of 200 square meters, saving 45 days of construction time compared with traditional processes. For more industry information: +WeChat qlfsbl123

**Full-Chain Service Assurance: Cost Control from Design to Maintenance**

As an enterprise integrating full-chain services including detailed design, production and manufacturing, construction and installation, and after-sales maintenance, Qinglong Group uses BIM technology in the early design stage to provide clients with feasibility analysis of forms and cost optimization suggestions. For example, in an exterior wall project of a museum, parametric design was used to adjust surface curvature, reducing component types by 30% and mold costs by 25%. During the production stage, leveraging the scale advantages of its 600,000-square-meter production base in Nanning, Guangxi, centralized procurement of raw materials and batch production of components further reduce unit costs.

After project delivery, Qinglong provides after-sales maintenance services for up to 15 years. Through regular inspection and preventive maintenance, the service life of UHPC components is extended to more than 50 years, reducing whole-life-cycle costs. This closed-loop model of "design optimization - scaled production - long-term maintenance" reduces the overall cost of complex UHPC form projects by 30%-40%, promoting their popularization from high-end landmark buildings to commercial complexes, cultural tourism facilities, and other fields.

**Technical Validation and Industry Value: Practical Achievements of a Standard Setter**

As a participating unit in formulating the industry standard "General Technical Conditions for Non-Load-Bearing Components of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)," Qinglong Group's low-cost process solution has passed the Guangdong Province Scientific and Technological Achievement Appraisal and has been applied in multiple award-winning projects, including the Nanjing East Road Century Plaza renovation project and the Dongguan Women and Children's Activity Center. Among them, the application of light-transmitting UHPC components in the Nanjing project, through optimized aggregate gradation and light-transmitting fiber arrangement, achieved a light transmittance of 25%, with costs 60% lower than similar imported products, winning the Silver Award of the AALBORG WHITE Cup First UHPC Construction Engineering Innovation Award.

In the future, with the integration of technologies such as 3D printing and AI parametric design, the cost of complex UHPC forms will continue to decrease. Qinglong Group will continue to uphold the values of "honesty, hard work, trust, and collaboration," and with the technical strength of a national "specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative" enterprise, promote the large-scale application of UHPC materials in architectural decoration, providing more cost-effective solutions for its mission of "creating beautiful architecture." For more industry information: +WeChat qlfsbl123