STEELREINFORCEMENTINSTITUTEOF AUSTRALIA

TILT-U

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DIGES

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TILT-UP CONSTRUCTIONis being used with increasingsophistication for a growing range ofstructures and building types.This is characterised by the greatlyimproved range and standard of finishesbeing achieved on site; and by designersbeing more aware of the ease with whichinteresting shapes, profiling, modellingand special veneers can be incorporatedinto tilt-up panels.The advent of custom-fabricatedformliners to secure bold patterning andmodelling promises further enhancementof architectural possibilities.The extension of the tilt-up process toinclude site-precasting at ground level ofsuspended floors and other structuralelements is showing substantial gains inproductivity and speed of construction.Nowhere is this more important than inmedium-density housing, particularly ifsuch housing is to remain affordable. Theprojects illustrated here are typical ofrecent work, and indicate the qualitypossible in tilt-up construction. In eachproject the form of construction wasselected to satisfy budgetary and timeconstraints, whilst meeting therequirements of an ever moredemanding market-place.

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BRICK VANEER WALL PANELS COVER: RIBBED FINISH

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APPLIED EXPOSED-AGGREGATE FINISH

SITE PRECASTOFFICES

INTEGRAL EXPOSED-AGGREGATE FINISH

SITE PRECASTTOWN HOUSES

TEXTURED PAINTFINISH

This prestigious commercial developmentis a fine example of the current state-of-the-art in architectural tilt-up panelling.The centre comprises an office tower withsix floors of office space plus a two- andthree-storey annexe built partly over asemi-basement public car park. It is thisannexe which is clad with tilt-up panels.Each panel has an upper and lowerherring-bone ribbed surface separated bya horizontal, indented painted band. Theribbing has been very well executed,arrises being crisp and true. Such astandard of finish was made possiblethrough the use of custom-fabricatedfibreglass formliners.In all, five fibreglass formliners wererequired for the casting of the 54 panels,each of which measured 4 x 10 m with aminimum thickness of 175 mm.All panels were cast face down using anadaptation of normal stack casting. Thestack was overset by a frame to lift eachpanel clear of the formlmer on the thirdday after casting. To ease stripping,compressed air injection was used. Topermit this early handling and to ensure agood finish with clean arrises concretestrengths of 40 and 45 MPa werespecified. A first-class strip resulted.

Finally, an exposed aggregate coating wasapplied to the ribbed areas of the panels.This is one of the few examples, so farseen in this country, of the use ofcustom-fabricated reusable formliners toachieve dramatic surface modelling intilt-up panels. It is a technique offering arich pallette of design opportunities.

DEVELOPER:Capcount Property Trust

ARCHITECT:Sabemo Projects Design Division

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:W L Meinhardt and Partners Pty Ltd

FIXING DETAILSHenry and Hymas

BUILDER:Sabemo Pty Ltd

PROJECT MANAGER:P Rochlin

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STAT

E

BANK

CENT

RE

ASHFIE

LD, N

SW

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STATE BANK CENTRE

A noteworthy feature of this multiplewarehouse building is the very fine inte-gral exposed-aggregate finish to the tilt-up panels. It is one of a group of build-ings, using a similar form of constructionand finish, being erected in the area.

On this job panels were cast face-upusing normal structural concrete withNepean River gravel as the coarseaggregate. Exposure was by waterwashing. Lifting points were subsequentlydisguised by patching, following erection.A remarkably consistent result has beenachieved through careful quality control.This finish was secured at a very modestcost premium when compared to coatingwith a high-build paint.

DEVELOPER:Hardman Australia Pty Ltd

ARCHITECT:Development Consulting Associates

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:Gary Truswell and Associates Pty Ltd

BUILDER:Cedra Constructions Pty Ltd

TILT-UP CONTRACTOR:Austilt Constructions Pty Ltd

WAR

EHOUS

E

COMPL

EX

SEVEN

HILL

S, NSW

These striking inner-suburban offices arean excellent example of the effectivenessof on-site precasting of both walls andfloors to speed construction of a smallbuilding.All wall panels are fully load-bearing two-storey (or two-storey plus gable) tilt-upunits. First-floor panels were stack cast atground level and then lifled into position.The total time taken to cast and erect thestructure represented only 8% of theoverall time to completion.Wall panels were formed up to receivedoor and window frames. To control scaleand create a shadow pattern to reinforcethe classical proportions of the facade,five horizontal grooves have beenincorporated in the face of the panels.Vertical arrises are chamfered to matchthe grooves. The external finish to thepanels is an acrylic coating. Internally thefinish is paint over plasterboard.

DEVELOPER:Lez Nominees

ARCHITECT:A D’Andrea and Associates

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:TMK & Associates

BUILDER:A L Seeley Constructions

TILT-UP CONTRACTOR:Friendly Terrazzo

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LAW

OFF

ICES

MILE EN

D, SA

The Rhode Island Condominiumdevelopment comprises 172 luxurioustownhouses plus a residents' clubhouse.Abutting the river and a golf course, the16-hectare site has been generouslylandscaped, including provision of anumber of artificial lakes and waterfeatures.Originally designed in loadbearingblockwork with concrete floors, it wasdecided, in the interests of speedingconstruction and avoiding highbricklaying costs, to site-precast amajority of structural elements. Thisdecision was influenced by experiencegained in building the Cairns InternationalHotel.A precasting area was established on sitefor smaller components such asretaining-wall panels, columns, beamsand stairs. Larger elements such astilt-up wall and floor panels were castadjacent to their final locations. Floorpanels were cast against textured fibre-cement sheets set within the perimeterforms. These sheets, bonded to theconcrete, eliminated problems ofseparation and provided a smooth softit.Once the panels had been lifted intoposition the only ceiling finishing requiredwas to flush the joints between theboards, prior to painting. Edge forms forboth floor and wall panels were designedto be reusable, and were fabricated frornlight steel C-sections.

Floors spanning up to eight metres aregenerally 200 mm thick with two layers ofreinforcement. Wall panels are 150 mmthick with a single layer of reinforcement.All electrical conduits and plumbingsleeves were cast in. Overlapping U-barsand locating pins were used at concrete-to-concrete joints, and were grouted upfollowing final positioning of panels.Generous tolerances were adopted tofurther speed construction.All residences are villa-type split-leveltownhouses offering three bedrooms, orthree bedrooms plus study, and spaciousliving and dining areas. All commandextensive water views over either lake orriver.

DEVELOPER:D & S Mulgrave Properties Pty Ltd

ARCHITECT:Media Five Architects Pty Ltd

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:Moir Harding Gill and Metzroth Pty Ltd

PANEL DETAILS:Tilt-Lift Equipment Pty Ltd

BUILDER:Prentice Builders Limited

RESIDENT PROJECT MANAGER:J Ward

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RHODE

ISLA

ND

BROADBE

ACH, QLD

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RHODE ISLANDCONDOMINIUMS

SPLIT-LEVEL DININGAND LIVING AREA

FIRST FLOOR PANELSPOSITIONED

FIBRE-CEMENTFORMLINERS TOFLOOR PANELS

FIRST FLOOR WALLPANELS ERECTED

SITE-PRECAST STAIRS

EXTERNAL COLUMNAND BEAM ERECTIONAND ROOF FRAMINGWELL ADVANCED

Pleasing forms, crisp lines and a colourscheme which is both fresh anddistinctive impart an invigorating qualityto this small industrial development.All panels are loadbearing. The endpanels to the projecting first-floor officeshave been blocked out to create a feelingof lightness and an illusion that the upperfloors are cantilevered rather than beingsupported by these panels.Full-height panels form the wall behindthe covered parking bays and frame theroller shutter doors which form theentries to the warehouses. Maximumpanel lift was 20 tonnes.An applied exposed-aggregate finish hasbeen used externally.

DEVELOPER:Zenis Investment Pty Ltd

ARCHITECT:Development Consulting Associates

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:Gary Truswell and Associates Pty Ltd

BUILDER:Cedra Constructions Pty Ltd

TILT-UP CONTRACTOR:Austilt Constructions Pty Ltd

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INDU

STRIAL

ESTA

TE

CASTLE

HILL

, NSW

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INDUSTRIAL ESTATECASTLE HILL, NSW

A prime requirement of Parramatta CityCouncil was that the exterior finish of thisdevelopment should be brick, or acombination of brick and stone, to tie inwith the general character of the area.The solution was to use tilt-up panelsincorporating a brick veneer facing to theupper floors and a simulated stone finishto the ground floor.A total of 80 panels up to 1.8 m highwere required, having a face area of3500 m2. To control scale, mock windowshave been introduced at each floor level,matching practical windows in theadministrative section.A special polystyrene formliner was usedbetween edge forms, to accurately locatethe purpose-made brickettes employed asthe veneer. After placing, the jointsbetween brickettes were filled with acoloured cement mortar and ironed toensure adequate compaction. Joints werethen flushed using a trowel, prior toplacing concrete.A low-shrinkage 32-MPa concrete, havinga slump of 8–100 mm, was used. Ashrinkage limit of 600 microstrain at fivedays was specified to limit differentialmovement between the concrete and thebrickette facing.

The panels with the triangular parapetswere cast in one piece and then sawn forlifting. This kept the maximum panel liftto 26 tonnes.Using this method the warehouse waserected at a substantially lower cost, andin just seven weeks against an estimatedtwenty weeks, when compared withconventional brickwork.

DEVELOPER:Millers Self Storage

ARCHITECT:Ceccato McGrane Architects

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:Partridge Partners Pty Ltd

PANEL DETAILS:Gary Truswell and Associates Pty Ltd

BUILDER:Cedra Constructions Pty Ltd

TILT-UP CONTRACTOR:Austilt Constructions Ply Ltd

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MILLE

RS

STORA

GE

HARRIS

PARK

, NSW

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MILLERS STORAGE

Located close to both the Port Botanycontainer terminal and Sydney airport,this industrial park was designed toattract companies engaged primarily inthe storage and distribution of importedor export goods.Formality and symmetry were regardedas essential to the achievement of thenecessary sophistication in an otherwiseunprepossessing, but improvingneighbourhood. To this end, and toensure clear corporate identities for theoccupants, units are grouped around aspacious, landscaped central circulationand parking area.Tilt-up walls are used throughout for bothoffices and warehouses. Site-precastpanels were also used to enclose a majorwater channel which bisects the sitediagonally. Panels were stack cast and aregenerally 175 mm thick. All wall panelsare fully loadbearing, carrying first-floorslabs spanning up to seven metres and allroof loads. Window openings wereblocked out to provide stepped sills andrecessed surrounds where required.Window frames are set well back withinthe panels. Ground floor windows areshadowed by being recessed somedistance behind the rear face of the panel.A textured paint finish is used externally,contrasting colours being used todifferentiate between office blocks andwarehouses.

DEVELOPER:Kiambal Pty Ltd

ARCHITECT:Kym and Associates – Kooi-ying Mah

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:Henry and Hymas

PANEL DETAILS:Henry and Hymas

PROJECT MANAGER AND BUILDER:Richard Crooks Construction

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EASTGA

RDEN

S

ESTA

TE

MATRAV

ILLE,

NSW

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EASTGARDENS ESTATE

STEELREINFORCEMENTINSTITUTEOF AUSTRALIA

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CONTACT DETAILS

SRIA NATIONAL OFFICEPO BOX 280 CROWS NEST NSW 2065

TELEPHONE: 02 9929 3033FREE CALL: 1300 300 114FACSIMILE: 02 9929 3255

EMAIL: sria@sria.com.auINTERNET: www.sria.com.au TUD2 MARCH 1991