Tilt-up Construction

What may have begun in Ancient Rome is now one of North America’s fastest growing construction practices.  Tilt-up Concrete Construction became a more feasible construction technique with the invention of the mobile crane about 100 years ago.

In tilt-up construction, a building’s walls are cast directly on the floor slab and are then tilted into place by a crane. This approach can deliver a finished building quickly because perimeter wall panels can be placed while the rest of the interior building systems are designed. The mass of tilt-up concrete often reduces the need for insulation in a building, and because the walls are cast on site, transportation costs are reduced.

Once tilted into place, the work crew braces the wall panels to keep them standing while construction continues on the next panel. The wall panels can weigh up to 150 tons, and an experienced crew can tilt 30 panels in a day! Although originally, most tilt-up buildings were simple warehouses, today, tilt-up is used for a variety of building types, including homes, office buildings, hotels, and schools