Refined prestressed concrete elements

A method of forming a beam, comprising:

• applying prestress to a lower flange of the beam either before casting and curing of a first concrete material of the lower flange, or after the casting and curing of the first concrete material of the lower flange, thereby forming a prestressed lower flange of the beam;
• and
• after the applying of the prestress, disposing a web of the beam on the prestressed lower flange,
• wherein force is not applied to the web as part of the applying of the prestress to the lower flange,
• wherein the disposing of the web of the beam on the prestressed lower flange comprises casting and curing a second concrete material on a top surface of the prestressed lower flange,
• wherein the first concrete material includes at least one of a lower permeability, a higher compressive strength, and a higher tensile strength than the second concrete material, and
• wherein the first concrete material comprises Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC), and the second concrete material comprises High Performance Concrete (HPC).