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Tilt-Up Concrete
Buildings Home > Tilt-Up Concrete

Erecting a tilt-up panel.Tilt-up concrete construction is one of the fastest-growing building technologies in North America, with at least 10,000 structures—enclosing more than 650 million square feet of space—being built every year. While tilt-up has been in existence for more than a century, the 1940s saw a surge of interest in the method, and today tilt-up builds more than 15% of industrial buildings in the U.S., according to the Tilt-Up Concrete Association.

Building Process

When building with tilt-up, the site is prepared, walls are cast on-site on the floor slab, and then tilted up and secured in place. Engineering plays a key role in the creation of tilt-up buildings: wall panels must be able to withstand lifting loads, and floor slabs must be able to withstand crane and/or bracing loads during construction. Recent evolutions in component and mix design mean that structures can incorporate thinner, taller panels than ever before. And tilt-up panels can be finished in myriad ways, offering aesthetic flexibility.

One of the most evident benefits of tilt-up concrete construction is speed. Wall panels are often placed while the rest of the building systems are designed, and trades can begin work quickly, speeding time to occupancy. Tilt-up structures also offer all the energy efficiency, strength, and durability long associated with concrete.

Sustainability

Tilt-up is widely recognized as an environmentally friendly construction method. Because walls are cast on-site, transportation costs are minimized. Typically, the thermal mass of tilt-up eliminates the need for insulation. Of the approximately 25% of panels that are insulated, most use non-conductive ties to take best advantage of thermal mass properties—creating a solid, insulated energy-efficient wall. The large panels (the record is just over 92 feet tall) require less energy and labor for erection and finishing. And tilt-up buildings can be designed to accommodate change, with panels that are easy to move, remove and reuse, or even recycle if necessary.

Industry Resources
ACI 551R includes recommendations for many aspects of tilt-up construction, including design, engineering, placement, maintenance, and more.

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association offers a variety of resources for engineers, architects, and contractors. Get the essential methods and skills of tilt-up construction and the “Top Ten” tilt-up record-holders.

Publications
The Tilt-Up Construction and Engineering Manual - 6th Edition (LT192)
Published by the Tilt-up Concrete Association, this manual is the leading resource of information on Tilt-Up design and construction. This 6th edition has been revised to reflect feedback from wide variety of experts throughout the industry, and also includes considerable amount of new materials. The 360-page volume reflects the engineering and construction practices that developed as the industry has grown and advanced, and is an important reference for those just getting started as well as those with years of experience. It includes a CD supplement of guide photos, guide details and guideline specifications.
Tilt-Up Concrete Buildings (PA079)
This publication describes the advantages and uses of the tilt-up construction method and shows some typical details and various architectural features currently being used. Illustrated with 34 photos and sketches, this booklet shows the benefits of the tilt-up process from preliminary concept to construction and erection.

Connections for Tilt-Up Wall Construction (EB110)
This 44-page manual describes connections commonly used in tilt-up construction. It includes design tables and 28 perspective drawings of details between wall panels and foundation, floor, adjacent wall panels, and roof. Details were obtained from engineering offices experienced in tilt-up design and from a review of current literature. Connection elements such as standard bolts, high-strength bolts, threaded inserts, expansion inserts, embedments, welding, dowels, grout, and bearing pads are discussed.

PCA Notes on ACI 318-05 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete with Design Applications (EB705)
Designed to help you apply the provisions of ACI 318-05 to the design and construction of concrete structures, these Notes were prepared with engineers and architects in mind. PCA Notes is also a valuable aid to educators, undergraduate and graduate students, contractors, materials and product manufacturers, building code authorities, and inspectors. The 34 chapters of PCA Notes provide detailed coverage of ACI 318-05’s 22 chapters and four appendixes dealing with strut-and-tie models, alternative provisions for reinforced and prestressed concrete flexural and compression members, alternative load and strength-reduction factors, and anchorage to concrete. The chapters are introduced with a summary of code changes in 2005 and contain numerical examples that help design professionals to better understand and apply the code provisions.

Tilt-Up Load-Bearing Walls (EB074)
Use load tables to quickly and easily design tilt-up wall panels for gravity and wind forces. A "column model" is used to compute the load capacities of reinforced concrete tilt-up wall panels with one layer or two layers of reinforcement that rest on continuous footings. An approximate but rational means of evaluating the effects of isolated footings and sustained loads on the capacity of these slender walls is included. Design assistance in the form of load-capacity coefficient tables is also presented, as well as illustrative design applications. This third edition includes both English and metric units.

Concrete Systems for Homes and Low-Rise Construction Item Code (SP405)
Fast gaining on more traditional homebuilding materials, concrete systems save builders time, money, and headaches. Written by PCA experts, this resource provides expert, straightforward answers on concrete systems, including everything you want to know about availability of products, evaluating concrete systems for homes and low-rise buildings, requirements for application, managing projects, and much more. Based on case histories, field research, and hands-on-the-hammer experience, and with more than 325 photos and illustrations, this one-stop resource shows and tells what you want to know.


Design Aids—Tilt-Up Concrete
Tilt-up Basics
Benefits of Tilt-Up
Frequently Asked Questions
Tilt-Up Top Ten Lists
32 Pointers for Tilt-Up Design and Construction

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