Unit 4 Assignment Building Technology

Assignment

Building Technology 245

Title:
Assessment 1

Name:
Jordan Rowley
Student Number:
16853575
Unit Name:
BT 245
Email Address:
[e-mail]
Date Submitted:

Word Count:
[insert word count – excluding bibliography]
URL (if applicable):

Curtin University of Technology

By submitting this assignment, I declare that I have retained a suitable copy of this assignment, have not previously submitted this work for assessment and have ensured that it complies with university and school regulations, especially concerning plagiarism and copyright.

___________________________

(Date/Signature)

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Research of tilt-up construction
2.1 Definition
2.2 Construction Process
2.3 Design Considerations
3.0 Investigation of the topic 3.1 Advantages
3.2 Disadvantages and problems associated with tilt-up
3.3 State of the industry
4.0 Future direction
4.1 Innovations in the industry
4.2 Directions being taken
5.0 Conclusion
1.0 Introduction
The tilt-up construction technique
has only recently become more popular it contemporary building developments, it is a form of precast construction consisting of an in-site concrete material. The practice of tilt-up construction is widely used for buildings that require a quick and economical building process like office buildings or residential complexes, the process consists of piecing together the different slabs to create an entire body that works together to be an extremely simple yet stable construction. In the past, tilt-up was only used on smaller buildings due to the lack of lifting technology able to piece the higher levels together, however, in modern construction it has become highly popular to build using this tilt-up technique in bigger and grander buildings. With these evident advantages of using tilt-up there also come a variety of disadvantages and problems that are associated with using this as a sole technique of construction, these problems however, are often confronted during the process and solved and this will be outlined in the following report. To further develop the ideology of tilt-up construction a case study will be presented on a current development that utilizes or has utilized tilt-up as their construction method and the advantages and disadvantages will be studied in detail, this will further develop the understanding of tilt-up construction through the analysis of the aspects of the current building that contribute to a better construction.

2.0 Description 2.1 Definition
“Tilt-up construction involves site-casting the concrete walls of a building on its floor slab or on a separate casting bed and then tilting and lifting them into position by crane.
The result is rapid construction arising from a well-planned process more akin to a factory production line, but retaining the flexibility of in-situ concrete work.” (Concretecentre.com 2014.) It is clearly evident that tilt-up is a quick, easy and simple construction method that is used much more commonly around the world in buildings up to six stories. The fact that the tilt-up method is basic it reinforces the economical side of the process, utilizing only an in-situ concrete material it allows for the building to be constructed without much work, only the pre-fabrication of the wall and floor slabs and then pieced together to create a full body construction with almost no
flaws.

2.2 Construction Process
The process begins with a preplanning stage; this is vital, as the whole project has to be extremely particular in its measurements and weights. If even one aspect of the process is only a margin out it can result in inaccurate fitting of the walls to the ceiling and floor slabs, a schedule of operations needs to be written up to maintain the proper organization and fluidity of the project. Following this it’s a matter of constructing a floor slab and taking great care in making sure that the floor slab is level, as the walls will fit directly onto the slab and any errors or faults in the floor slab will directly influence the placement of the walls resulting in a variety of errors. This can be easily controlled by the use of quality subgrade, which will enable the floor slab to hold much higher quantities of weight. The following stage will simply be sealing and curing the concrete slab before the walls are applied. The wall panels then need to be cast at the requirements of the developer; they will be cast on the floor slab and then lifted and secured into place by the use of wood or steel angle supports. Ensure that the start bars are incorporated into the fixings in the panels to enable are stable and secure fitting of the wall panels. Then a mastic sealant will be applied to all joints and spaces between the panels, creating a very secure and weather-tight construction. The final stage is erecting a formwork for the roof and then constructing it at the requirements of the developer.

2.3 Design Considerations
One of the most vital features of tilt-up construction is the joining of the wall panels to the foundation as well as the roof type and the corresponding connection to the walls. This aspect is handled by the consultant engineer, whose job is to make sure that the strength and suitability of these connections are at a level enough to maintain the loads that are presented by the structure through the stages of construction as well as the final completion stage. In some cases where the designs don’t incorporate these details into the plan will be severely delayed and often can result in errors in construction. It is important to keep the connections as a simple design to limit the amount of ‘over-crowding’ of reinforcement in the concrete that could, in turn, result in failure. To enable the best result, the variety of aspects in the connections will need to be reduced and this allows for reduced costs and increase in support, so it is critical that good designs are ensured in conjunction with efficient construction techniques.

3.0 Investigation 3.1 Advantages
Due to the tilt-up method of

References
Concretecentre.com. "Tilt-up Construction." 2014. http://www.concretecentre.com/technical_information/building_solutions/frame_elements/tilt-up_construction.aspx