The term “tilt-up” describes a method of constructing concrete walls rapidly and economically. Wall panels are cast horizontally on the floor slab. After they have attained sufficient strength, a mobile crane lifts the panels up and sets them on a foundation. The erected panels are temporarily braced while the roof and upper floor framing is constructed.

Tilt-up concrete is most commonly used for one to three story buildings, but its use in multi-story low-rise office and warehouse buildings is growing. This process offers architects almost unlimited freedom to arrange and assemble panels, plus a wide choice of surface finishes. Techniques continue to evolve with new research and innovations, furthering the advantages of tilt-up construction.

• HILLFOX POWER CENTER


• GATEWAY SHOPPING CENTRE


• GATEWAY – EDGARS EXTENSION


• MAPONYA MALL


• UMLAZI MEGA CITY


• SIBAYA CASINO


• FREEDOM TOWERS AT WALTER SISULU SQUARE


• HIRSCH STORE


• LG  ELECTRONIC WAREHOUSE


• CLICKS DISTRIBUTION CENTRE


• ZEVENWACHT SHOPPING CENTRE


• FUEL GROUP DISTRIBUTION CENTRE


• MR PRICE DISTRIBUTION CENTRE


• MERTHYR HOUSE


• DELCLAIM SHOPPING CENTRE


• WELTEVREDEN SHOPPING CENTRE

HILLFOX POWER CENTRE  - Johannesburg  (1995)

DESCRIPTION

The 36 500 m2 Hillfox Power Centre, constructed in Roodepoort in 1995, represented a new concept in high-volume value shopping in South Africa.
From the outset, during the preliminary planning phase of this project it was recognized that the size of the project, the stipulated 10 month construction period as well as other considerations, called for new innovative thinking in terms of design and detailing for rapid, simple and economical construction, within the framework of architectural, cost and erection constraints.
Due to the repetitive and extensive yet interesting nature of the façade, tilt-up construction was a natural alternative to an in-situ concrete frame and brickwork façade solution.

REASONS FOR TILT-UP ALTERNATIVE

At a very early stage of this project it became clear that the relative complexity of the façade element was a potential drawback in terms of cost and construction time on this fast track project. In addition several other considerations enter the equation.

• The brick wall/concrete frame interface often leads to undesirable cracking and necessitate the introduction of plaster joints at this interface.
• Plaster cracking is always a potential danger and is often unpredictable and difficult to remedy should it occur.
• The relative slowness of brickwork to such complicated facades was a distinct drawback.
• Approximately 2000 linear meters of façade was to be built in-situ in a construction period of only 10 months.
• Tilt-Up Construction lends itself well to the repetitive nature of the proposed facades.

The painted finish required by the Architect could easily be obtained by simply painting the smooth off-shutter finish of the panels, therefore eliminating the important wet trade of plastering.

A full alternative design in Tilt-Up Construction technology was tabled and this indicated a potential cost saving of approximately 17% against the conventional solution and a saving of approximately 10% in construction time.

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GATEWAY SHOPPING CENTRE - Umhlanga Rocks (1999)

What is on offer at Gateway?

• Over 375 shops and restaurants,
• A skateboard park.
• Standing wave pools for surfing and body boarding including the world’s first double point break.
• 27-m high indoor climbing wall.  (Highest in the world)
• 18 cinemas
• An IMAX theatre
• A children’s entertainment arcade

PROJECT INFORMATION:

Total Size                                                    317 843 m²
Gross Lettable area                                      126 487 m²
Parking Arcades/ Public areas / Malls             191 356 m²
Tallest panel                                                19,7 m                                     
Largest Panel                                               19,7 m x  5,2 m          
Heaviest Panel                                             4 T      
Number of tilt-up elements                           357
Total gross area of elements                        Over 17 000 m²          

WHY TILT-UP?

QUALITY, SPEED, FLEXIBILITY & COST

The powerfloated finish of the tilt-up panels was far superior in both quality and durability to the steel floated finish that would have been attainable with a brickwork and plaster alternative.  Furthermore despite being used only as a cladding and not as a structural element tilt-up was cost competitive offering better “value for money” than any other alternative.

Tilt-up was able to achieve the aesthetic relief features required by the Architects simply and economically and with an accuracy and quality not possible with any other construction method.

The speed of erection inherent in tilt-up construction enabled the contractor to weatherproof the building six months ahead of schedule thereby allowing more time for the complex internal finishes required to the internal mall areas

The client requested that the contractor investigate alternative construction methods to the conventional brickwork and plaster solution to ensure a “world class centre”.  As a result several options were investigated before finally selecting tilt-up as the best alternative.  Meetings were held with the professional team to explain tilt-up construction and the benefits the system could bring to the development as well as to resolve how tilt-up could meet the specific requirements of the project.  Site visits to completed projects were arranged so that the team could see examples of the quality of finish attainable.

Before proceeding the client authorised that a full size mock-up of a corner of the building be built in order that various details could be tested to ensure that they worked practically.  Four wall panels each about 13m x 5m, a corner element and two tilt-up columns were formed, cast and erected.  A first floor slab was cast and roof steelwork erected.

The owners then raised concerns over flexibility and how tilt-up could accommodate changes due to tenant requirements.  The perception was that tilt-up was an inflexible building method.  A report was prepared that looked at every conceivable change that might be required, from cutting openings in a panel to removing the entire bottom half of a panel and even the removal of complete panels.

Tilt-up was able to accommodate all eventualities and in most instances accommodated the changes better than either brickwork and plaster or conventional precast.  As a demonstration a door opening was cut into one of the mock-up panels and a frame and door installed.

Towards the end of the project tilt-up proved invaluable in accommodating openings that were required for air conditioning ducts, fire escapes and other services.  Openings were cut in panels that had already received their final coat of paint and with minimal disruption, mess and touch-up required, tilt-up met the demands of flexibility with flying colors.

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GATEWAY – EDGARS EXTENSION (2004) - GAME EXTENSION (2007)

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MAPONYA MALL - Soweto   (2007) 

This upmarket, 70 000-m2 shopping centre, in Klipspruit, Soweto, is scheduled for completion in September 2007. The reasons that the tilt-up method of construction had been chosen for this project are cost competitive pricing, quality of construction, finish and speed of construction.

The mall will feature anchor tenants that include major national retailers Pick ‘n Pay, Woolworths, Edgars, Truworths and the Foschini Group, as well as Ster Kinekor cinemas.

Maponya Mall during construction

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UMLAZI MEGA CITY - Durban  (2005) 

Background

Umlazi Mega City is the township’s first ‘sizeable’ shopping centre. In addition to a 28,000-m2 shopping area, it offers a service station, taxi rank, offices and a motor city.

In the construction of Umlazi Mega City, Grinaker-LTA utilised ‘Tilt-Up’ technology for the shopping centre’s external facades. The same method will be used at Maponya Mall. Explains Cloete: “Tilt-Up will be used for all the external façade walls at Maponya Mall. The external wall panels, some 8 x 10 m in size, will be cast horizontally on site and then lifted vertically into position by crane. The design of the anchor positions is undertaken in the USA, and this, together with the lifting process itself, requires specialised expertise. The speed of the panel erection coupled with a quality finish provides an attractive option in a market where skills are scarce.” 

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SIBAYA CASINO  -  KZN North Coast   (2004)

2006 Tilt-Up Achievement

Award Winner :: Commercial Division

Submitted by: Tilt-Up Systems

TCA Member Participants

Tilt-Up Systems (Kloof, South Africa)
Role: Tilt-Up Contractor
Lowden and Associates (Oakland, California)
Role: Consultant
Meadow Burke (Tampa, Florida)
Products: Bond-Breaker, Lifting Hardware

From the unique architecture and idyllic setting, to the awe-inspiring Afro-chic atmosphere and the fantasy world of a state-of-the-art casino, there’s much to experience in this 2006 TCA award winning project. Featuring over 900 slot machines and thirty-seven table games, the property is also an elegant resort with eight restaurants and two hotels with 156 rooms.
Low maintenance, cost-effectiveness and quality made Tilt-Up the solution for this facility.
The Sibaya Casino is designed around the local Zulu culture. Its massive central domed structure is encircled by eight satellite structures with their own identities. The unique façade features create unusual curved structures with hardly any straight lines. When the owner wanted to incorporate curved walls even though they had never been done by the contractor, a full-size sample was constructed to demonstrate the success of this technique.
Constantly changing levels around the site created a tight space, which necessitated the creation of bulk earthwork platforms to create space for casting beds and provide crane access.
In order to create the curved front face of the panels, sacrificial casting beds were created around the outside of the building. This process involved casting two level strips of concrete that had steel bolted onto it to create tracks. A steel strike rail that was shaped to the radius of the required panel “ran” on these rails. The earth between the tracks was then shaped and the bed cast and floated using the strike rail to ensure a constant radius along the height of the panel.
The panels were not just a constant thickness but also had integral columns and beams cast into them to create the depth required by the architect. Panels were cast in a two-phase operation, and certain panels had battered faces requiring the integral columns to taper so that once the back face of the column was plumb, the front face of the panel would slope backwards. Large polystyrene void forms were placed into the panel before encasing them in concrete to reduce the panel weight.
To simulate local ethnic building techniques, a dry, granolithic screed mix was added to the concrete surface and hand floated into the concrete to create a textured finish. Deep recesses were formed cost-effectively by creating a composite recess former of polystyrene with a ply board that could be glued to the casting surface and would not be damaged during fixing of reinforcing and concreting of the panels. Beige paint was used to complement the existing landscape.
Judges rated the Sibaya Casino as a favorite because this project serves as “a genuine iconic milestone for the site-cast concrete wall panel industry. The shear magnitude and complexity of the scope should be inspiring to anyone involved with or contemplating using this construction method…Projects like this start to legitimize Tilt-Up within the design excellence elitist, which will slowly erode the big box stigma we currently face with so many non-believers.”

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FREEDOM TOWERS AT WALTER SISULU SQUARE   - Soweto (2006)

SPECIALIST SUB CONTRACTOR FOR THE TILT-UP
Tilt Up Systems cc

Freedom Towers at Walter Sisulu Square

2006 Tilt-Up Achievement Award Winner :: Special Projects Division

Submitted by: Tilt-Up Systems

Constructed on the center of the busiest traffic circle in Kliptown, this project had the goal of creating a complex feature entrance wall to a new National Monument in Soweto, South Africa.
The owner wanted to ensure no construction joints were visible in the columns for the Freedom Towers, which was easily achieved with Tilt-Up.
Five of the Freedom Towers columns are made of black concrete with white aggregate, and four of the columns are made of white concrete with black aggregate. This represents the new South Africa where black and white people stand together in harmony.
Large floodlights inside and outside the columns of the Freedom Towers provide a spectacular illumination at night.
The remarkable monuments caught the eyes of the judges on Walter Sisulu. Judges cited the use of light, form and special relationships that serve to create a landmark most observers could never forget.

TCA Member Participants

Tilt-Up Systems (Kloof, South Africa)
Role: Tilt-Up Contractor
Lowden and Associates (Oakland, California)
Role: Consultant
Meadow Burke (Tampa, Florida)
Products: Bond-Breaker, Lifting Hardware

Related Award Winning Projects

The purpose of the TCA Awards Program is to recognize outstanding site cast Tilt-Up structures and advances in technology, products and methods used in the Tilt-Up industry.

Quick Facts:

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HIRSCH STORE  - Durban (2006)

REASONS FOR USING TILT-UP
Due to the client’s demanding requirements with regard to security, fire resistance, insulation and durability (due to the coastal conditions), the 4000 m2 concrete warehouse has to be the first warehouse in South Africa that is entirely made up of concrete. The external perimeter panels, columns and beams were all precast and lifted into position. The roof system was made up of precast concrete rectangular shaped beams with polystyrene filler blocks and a concrete structural topping ( hybrid concrete).

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LG  ELECTRONIC WAREHOUSE  -  Pinetown (2003)

REASONS FOR USING TILT-UP

Plaster cracking is always a potential danger and is often unpredictable and difficult to remedy should it occur. Other reasons for using tilt-up for the 7500 m2 warehouse/ distribution centre included cost competitive pricing, quality construction/ finish, speed of construction, security and fire resistance.

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CLICKS DISTRIBUTION CENTRE  -  Centurion  (1999)

REASONS FOR USING TILT-UP

Plaster cracking is always a potential danger and is often unpredictable and difficult to remedy should it occur. The reasons for using tilt-up for the 35000 m2 warehouse included cost competitive pricing, quality construction/ finish, speed of construction, security and fire resistance.

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ZEVENWACHT SHOPPING CENTRE  -  Kuilsriver  (2007)

WHY TILT-UP?

QUALITY, SPEED, FLEXIBILITY & COST

The power  floated finish of the tilt-up panels was far superior in both quality and durability to the steel floated finish that would have been attainable with a brickwork and plaster alternative
Tilt-up on the 40,000 m2 retail centre was able to achieve the aesthetic relief features required by the Architects simply and economically and with an accuracy and quality not possible with any other construction method.

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FUEL GROUP DISTRIBUTION CENTRE   -  Durban   (2007)

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MR PRICE DISTRIBUTION CENTRE  -  Durban  (2005)  

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MERTHYR HOUSE  -  Pinetown  (1984)

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DELCLAIM SHOPPING CENTRE  -  Kloof  (2000)

DESCRIPTION
2500 m²  Retail

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WELTEVREDEN SHOPPING CENTRE - Mitchells Plain   (1990)

DESCRIPTION
35000 m²    Retail