Industry Axis

Needham DBS and T&T Construction wins a Tilt-up Achievement Award for Lilly RTP. 

The project is a $474 million development spanning over 750,000 SF across 11 integrated buildings. Features of the development include a 240,000 SF three-story manufacturing facility, a 200,000 SF two-story medical device and packaging facility, a 105,000 SF two-story administration and laboratory building, a 95,000 SF refrigerated Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) warehouse, and a fully functioning central utility plant. This project is a complex of buildings that are interconnected by a common corridor, which is 22 feet by 750 feet. There are six buildings adjoining the corridor from both the north and south, totaling a 324,847 SF building footprint with 688,392 SF of floor area. The project is a multi-level pharmaceutical production facility with floor level changes and pass-throughs between buildings. The Owner was committed to building a facility that was state-of-the-art and would carry their needs well into the future.

Kansas State University and Professor Kimberly Waggle Kramer, are leaders in promoting tilt-up construction to its students in the Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science (ARE/CNS). As one of the only universities in the US offering a full semester-long course in tilt-up construction, students of CNS629 learn about all aspects of the tilt-up construction process.

Needham DBS was invited by Professor Kramer to do a special topics guest lecture. Jason Blankenship, a 2007 BS/MS graduate of K-State ARE/CNS, presented on the topic of Tilt-Up Sandwich Panels. Topics covered included: history of sandwich panels, energy code background, wythe connector types, and non-composite and composite panel behavior, mechanics, and construction processes.

Jeffrey Needham, Needham DBS, sponsored by the Concrete Promotional Group (CPG), presented "Composite Tilt-Up Panels - The Future of Tilt-Up Walls" to the AIA Nooniversity held on October 10, 2018.  The presentation explores the current state-of-the-art in composite tilt-up panel construction and explains developments in design methods for tilt-up composite panels.  The difference between solid panel design and the two-wythe composite design will be illustrated and the limitations of the current composite design methods will be shown.  The future of composite panels in tilt-up construction concludes the talk. 

Thanks to Christy Martin, Executive Director for CPG, and the Kansas City AIA for the opportunity.

The team that delivered a tilt-up concrete panel solution for the award-winning Olathe West High School project were invited to present at the 42nd Annual Scholer-Peterson Concrete Conference at Kansas State University on February 2, 2019. Jason Blankenship with Needham DBS, along with Travis Downing with McCown Gordon Construction and Aaron Curtis with Lithko Contracting gave a presentation highlighting the challenging design and construction aspects of the project and outlined the process the team used for successfully executing the complex project.

Some of the key points of the presentation were: reviewing the factors in selecting a tilt-up approach, the challenging lateral system design, execution of the segmented arc “black box” panels, detailing coordination, the use of cast-in thin brick and insulated panels.  In addition, the use of BIM for tilt-up panels was discussed. Revit was used for the BIM not only as a design coordination tool, but also as a platform for tilt-up panel detailing, and then leveraging the benefits for construction use.

Karen S. Hand, PE, President of Needham DBS, presented a 2 hour seminar to about 90 contractors for the Fall 2018 Johnson County Contractors Licensing Educational Seminar.  The presentation of "Temporary Wind Bracing of Tilt-Up Concrete Panels" was at 8 am-10 am, October 30, 2018 at the Overland Park Convention Center.  

OSHA regulates the construction of buildings with concrete panels by requiring the panels to be temporarily braced to prevent panels from overturning or collapsing during construction. The Tilt-Up Concrete Association's brace document provides contractors and engineers with detailed instructions to interpret the existing codes and apply the forces to panels during the construction phase of the project.  Significant changes have been implemented since the last version. The guide is intended to be used in conjunction with ASCE/SEI 7-16 for access to the figures and tables. Attendees learned historical background leading up to the current guideline.  Major changes to the TCA Guideline for Temporary Wind Bracing of Tilt-Up Concrete Panels During Construction were presented as well as jobsite safety tips and case studies for bracing Tilt-Up Construction.

Jeff Needham will present "Composite Tilt-Up Panels - The Future of Tilt-Up Walls" to CPG & SEAKM members..  The meeting will begin at 4pm with an opportunity for networking followed by the presentation from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.  CPG is providing drinks and appetizers to enjoy.

Presentation Summary:
The continued adoption of energy codes is pushing tilt-up designers to use more edge to edge  insulated panels. Using the two wythes of these panels working together in composite action is a logical solution for engineers to provide a strong and very efficient insulated panel. The use of composite design has been limited due to thermal bow concerns, lack of good design methods, and limited connector types.
This presentation will explore the current state-of-the-art in composite tilt-up panel construction and explain developments in design methods for tilt-up composite panels. The differences between solid panel design and two-wythe composite design will be illustrated and the limitations of current composite design methods will be shown. The future of composite panels in tilt-up construction will conclude the talk.

Needham DBS has been working with Cincinnati Architect, FRCH, and Owner, Simon Property Group, on the design and construction documents for the Denver Premium Outlet for the past few years. Contracts for the construction were worked out early summer and the flurry of shop drawings for the 330,000 sq foot complex kept the office busy over the summer. The groundbreaking ceremony with local officials and Simon Property executives was held on October 5, 2017 and construction is now well underway. All tilt up panels have been formed, cast and set in to place. Most of the structural steel has been erected and roofing is being installed over much of the deck.

Located at the intersection of I-25 and 136th Avenue in Thornton, Colorado, the facility will have a fantastic view of the mountains to the West. The open-air shopping center is expected to open in Fall 2018.

Olathe West High School project was selected for the Judges Award at the Concrete Promotional Group Excellence in Concrete 2017 Awards. The award was presented to the team at the CPG Holiday Party & Awards Banquet on November 7, 2017 held at the College Basketball Experience at the Sprint Arena.

Tilt Up Concrete was designed and detailed by Needham DBS. Lithko Contracting LLC was the Tilt Up Contractor for the project. Other team members who worked on the project were Hollis + Miller Architects, McCownGordon Construction, Musselman & Hall Contractors, Summit Concrete, Fodyce Concrete Co Inc., Penny’s Concrete and Braun Intertec.

Olathe West High School has been awarded a Tilt-Up Achievement Award from the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA). TCA Members Needham DBS and Lithko Contracting were presented with a plaque commemorating the achievement at the Tilt-Up Awards Gala during the 2017 TCA Convention in Miami, Florida on September 29, 2017.

The Awards Issue of the Tilt-Up Today will be available in January 2018 featuring all the amazing projects from the 27th Annual Tilt-Up Achievement Awards.

The first tilt-up concrete building on the historic campus of the University of Virginia is now underway. Needham DBS worked with Nielsen Builders to design an insulated, composite tilt-up panel system for the Ivy Stacks Expansion project, an addition to an existing precast building. The panels are over 45’ tall, and feature the innovative IconX Model 23 composite connector (www.iconxusa.com), with edge-to-edge XPS insulation, in a 4 5/8-2-4 5/8 configuration (11 ¼” overall thickness). This design uses 30% less concrete than the comparable non-composite panel design. The site is extremely tight, with very limited panel casting area and narrow crane path. Panels are scheduled to be tilted in mid-December.

As I have watched the tilt-up concrete construction industry develop over many years, I have appreciated the way it has become a preferred method of construction for many building types. This growth has been based on a number of improvements in construction and design technology, such as larger mobile cranes, the recognition and adoption of slender wall design in building codes, and a growing appreciation for the flexibility and speed of tilt-up methods. The widespread adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) embraces the tilt-up industry, which already provides a fully code-compliant panel. The industry has the potential to make these panels more structurally efficient through the use of composite panels. This is a huge opportunity many designers and contractors may be missing.

To view the entire article published in the Summer 2017 Issue of Tilt-Up Today Magazine, visit http://tilt-up.org/tilt-uptoday/2017/08/08/composite-concrete-panels-the-future-for-tilt-up-walls/

High-strength welded wire reinforcement (WWR) mats offer a viable alternative to traditional tied rebar mats in tilt-up concrete panels.  Using WWR can result in overall decrease in reinforcing steel tonnage for the project, and allows much faster placement.  Both of these factors can improve the project schedule and budget.  However, there are critical differences in the panel design that must be considered.

When properly designed, the use of WWR can improve the economy and performance of a tilt-up project.  For engineers, specifying WWR can result in a more precise reinforcement design with better confinement and control of shrinkage cracking.  For contractors, the use of WWR can simplify installation and result in significant labor and schedule savings.  Material savings for single mat panels are typically minor, but are more significant for double mat panels.  Involvement of the tilt-up engineer is always critical to ensure the WWR utilized is appropriate for slender wall design.

The Warren Theatre is a beautiful art deco inspired Hollywood Glam theatre, featuring 18 cinema screens and extraordinarily lavish architectural features and vibrant colors.  At $20.9 million, the project is both the largest and most elaborate movie theatre in the country. The project was completed in December 2014.

Exterior walls for the auditorium “wings” and the taller central core structure utilized load-bearing tilt-up panels.  The tilt-up concrete was self-performed by Crossland Construction. The structural design was based on a redundant cellular diaphragm concept, similar to its sister project in Moore, Oklahoma, which withstood an EF-5 tornado in May 2013.