Architectural Features in Concrete Tilt-Up

Tilt-up has characteristics that differentiate it from other types of construction, and it is these qualities that make it a unique and expressive way to build. With our architectural business partners, we like to explore these characteristics, looking within the tilt-up technique itself, to create unique architecture. Tilt-up offers the promise of something different, something true to its own technique and how a building is put together. It offers an authentic way to build. Tilt-up walls have an abundance of mass: sheer weight and thickness just waiting to be explored in an architectural composition.

At Spectrum Brands, the thickness of the tilt-up wall is expressed by using deep-set windows with concrete returns. The returns were cast integral with the panels. Another way of revealing the three-dimensionality of the panels was by extending the end panel past the enclosing wall. 

We also like the monumental, even heroic scale possible with tilt-up, and when carefully composed, tilt-up’s scale can provide a powerful expression of strength and permanence. At the lobby of Fiskars’ headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin, slots were cast into the wall of the main stairs where structural support would intersect the wall, revealing the inherent strength of the tilt-up wall. We like this one especially because it brings the exterior material inside where it can be more directly experienced while using the stairs.

This brings us to the finish used on tilt-up panels. Many finishes are available. However, when panels are sandblasted, the aggregate within is revealed, showing an interesting, raw texture. We are given the chance to see the toughness and strength of the materials that make up the panel.

To accomplish this, we carefully control the color of the panel, using white cement in the concrete mix. This provides a clean, clear matrix that allows the aggregate to come through untainted. For aggregate, we have a couple of favorites. First is regular washed river rock, which is a mix of tans, reds and a few black stones. The second is limestone aggregate, which lends a light buff color to the mix. The degree of sandblasting depends on the project, though we generally favor at least enough to expose the aggregate within to a healthy degree.

The technical wonder of tilt-up is that it is load-bearing and space-enclosing, and it includes sandwich insulation, exterior finishes, and interior finishes. This is not only economical, but it also offers the prospect of an authentic architectural expression. And it has a special characteristic shared by much good architecture: it does more with less. We see tilt-up construction situated as a useful, viable way to build, with its own set of expressive possibilities.

Original article written by Doug Kozel for TILT-UP TODAY