What is a Tilt-Up Building?

A tilt-up is a type of concrete building that sounds a lot like its name. It’s a concrete building that is literally created by tilting-up concrete panels. A tilt-up is formed in five basic steps.

1. The footings – Like any other building, a tilt-up requires footings. Several footings will be dug, formed and poured in order to create a foundation for the building.

2. The slab – After the footings are poured, the next step is pouring the slab. The slab is the concrete floor that serves as the floor of the building.

3. The panels – Tilt-ups are made of concrete panels. Concrete panels are laid out and formed on top of the slab. The panels are what will be the future walls of the building. Each wall is formed on the slab. Once the walls are formed, concrete is poured inside of the formed panel.

​After the concrete is poured and dried, the panels will be ready to be hoisted into the air and will become the walls of the building.

4. The tilt-up – When the panels are ready, a crane comes and hoists up each of the concrete panels creating the walls of the building.  The walls are literally tilted-up with the crane, hence where the name tilt-up comes form. 

5. Joist and deck – Once the panels are tilted-up and in the air, the walls need to be secured. Joist and deck is the metal roofing of the building. The joist and deck is what holds the building together. The joist and deck are placed on top of the panels securing the walls and creating the roof of the building.