Tilt-up concrete construction spreading rapidly

A new building should be functional, attractive, durable, reasonably priced and efficient.

Tilt-up concrete buildings provide all of these benefits. Tilt-up construction is a building method developed around the turn of the century where walls and other building components are cast on-site, usually on the concrete floor slab of the building,

Speed of construction, economy, durability, and design flexibility are the most cited reasons for building with tilt-up. Tilt-up concrete construction has grown over 111 percent in the past 5 years. It is being used on all types of buildings including warehouses, shopping centers, industrial buildings, distribution centers, office complexes, motels, schools and prisons.

Myth: The tilt-up concrete construction method is too new to use in this area.

Reality: Tilt-up construction has been around for nearly a century. Although tilt-up has been going strong in the west and southeast for decades, this construction method is fast gaining ground in the Midwest and other parts of the country. The tilt-up construction market has really caught on in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Myth: Tilt-up is better suited for warehouses or industrial facilities.

Reality: Tilt-up is being successfully and creatively applied to everything from shopping centers and schools, to recreation centers and office buildings. No longer limited to just the square gray box, creative designers have used tilt-up for some of the most challenging and sophisticated design applications.

Myth: Tilt-up construction is too expensive.

Reality: In a recent survey, 65 percent of respondents had designed a tilt-up building and 75 percent of the designers felt that speed and cost were the biggest advantages of the tilt-up system.

Fast-track delivery

Tilt -up is especially suited for design-build "fast-track" projects. The wall panels can be built while the balance of the project is being designed. With proper planning a complete building wall system can be constructed and erected in a very short period of time.

Initial cost containment

Material and labor costs are more competitive than with other forms of construction. Costs are easier to control since practically all components can be purchased locally.

There is no need to worry about long lead-time items. The expedited construction cycle allows earlier occupancy, which improves the cash flow for both the owner and contractor.

Safer construction practices

All of the construction of the tilt-up walls is completed on the floor slab, eliminating unsafe vertical formwork, scaffolding or weather-related problems.

Durability

Tilt-up concrete walls withstand the test of nature and time. Insurance premiums will be lower because concrete walls are fire-resistant, storm- and wind-resistant and highly resistant to vandalism and theft. The strength of concrete has been proven against earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods.

Economical

Lower heating and cooling costs result from the thermal mass of concrete walls. The mass of the concrete structure re-duces temperature fluctuations through low heat transfer.

Smaller and more economical mech-anical systems can be used.

Versatility of design

Tilt-up buildings are not limited to just painted walls. The finished product is limited only by the imagination and creativity of the designer. Concrete can be formed into an infinite number of shapes. Some of the more popular surface finishes include:

Sandblasted concrete surface for the stone look.

Textured surface produced with form liners from a wide selection of patterns.

Cast-in thin brick to produce the ma-sonry look.

Colored architectural concrete with a few carefully placed reveals can produce the sophisticated look that will be stylish well into the future.

Your next building should be distinctive with a "touch of class." Ask a de-signer about the advantages of tilt-up wall construction. For more information, contact the Concrete Promotion Council of the Ozarks.

(Ed Textor, president of Advanced Concrete Technology Inc., is also president of the Concrete Promotion Council of the Ozarks.)