The three-day event included a variety of products, problems, and solutions that kept key concepts in mind; speed, innovation, and cost-savings for the construction industry.
At a roundtable presented by CTS Cement and Helix Steel, representatives discussed their partnership on the Mars Rover Pavilion and the impact that technology can bring to tilt-up construction. The Helix Steel Twisted Micro-Rebar (TSMR) and CTS Cement Fast Rock 500 design reduces wall thickness, produces savings in curing time, and has increased resistance to cracking. This collaboration really shined during the Solutions Sandbox demonstrations when, despite inclement weather, their joint efforts raised a 4.5 inch thick tilt-wall with 70% less rebar right before attendees' eyes.
The Tilt-Up Buildings tour included visits to notable tilt-up projects in Dallas. One stop was at the lakefront office building construction site at Cypress Waters. The project is setting records; it features the tallest tilt-up panels in Dallas, which are also the fourth tallest tilt-up panels in the world.
“The tallest panels on the site are at the stairwell. They're 92 feet 6 inches total height from bottom of panel to the top. The largest of them weighs in at 229,000 lbs” says Stephen A. Dial, President of Hunt & Joiner Inc., structural engineers for the project.
At the Polishing Tilt-Wall Panel, Barclay Gebel of Clayco Construction presented the polished panels created for the Pfizer building in Chesterfield, Mo. Their work on the building's courtyard included 13 three-story tilt-up panels that had to be polished on site. The standard concrete and limestone aggregate mix was poured over 20,000 square feet of panels, which were cast with the outside facing up to enable polishing while on the ground. Once complete, the panels were tracked 300 feet across the subgrade to their final destination for erection.
The Tilt-Up Convention provides professionals with any level of knowledge a clear understanding of the benefits that tilt-up can bring to the industry. The event was put together by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, which looks to further improve the quality and acceptance of site-cast tilt-up construction.
