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    1. Industry News

    Site Cast Tilt-Up Construction Increases

    March 22, 2005
    The Tilt-Up Concrete Association reports a 23-percent increase
    The Mt. Vernon, IA-based Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA), a non-profit international organization that serves to expand and improve the use of tilt-up as the preferred construction method, has announced a 23-percent growth in the use of the site cast tilt-up construction in 2004.   With almost 539 million square feet of buildings (approximately 215 million square feet of wall panels) constructed using tilt-up in 2003, and approximately 664 million square feet of buildings (approximately 265 million square feet of wall panels) constructed last year, the industry experienced a growth rate of 23 percent in 2004. In contrast, the industry grew 7 percent in 2003 as compared to 2002 numbers. The annual growth rate is based on sales of lifting inserts as reported by the major manufacturers of tilt-up accessories. Lifting inserts are designed for a given thickness of panel and have a maximum lifting capacity. Using a series of calculations that account for under-utilization and other factors, the total square foot of panels lifted, based on the connectors sold, is calculated. Then, using an industry-accepted ratio for low-rise buildings of wall-to-floor area of 0.40, the square foot of floor area enclosed by tilt-up wall construction is estimated.  According to Jim Baty, TCA technical director, the tilt-up construction method continues to gain market share for several reasons: speed of construction, advances in architectural treatments, and adaptability to markets such as schools, retail centers, and office buildings.“The numbers are phenomenal,” he says. “In fact, early indications for the 2005 year suggest that this may be our record year as an industry.”This information was provided by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, which was founded in 1986 to improve the quality and acceptance of site cast tilt-up construction, a construction method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place. Tilt-up construction is one of the fastest growing industries, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction, and minimal capital investment.  For more information about the TCA, visit (www.tilt-up.org), call Ed Sauter or Jim Baty at (319) 895-6911, or e-mail TCA at ([email protected]).

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