Franklin Park Medical Center

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association has recognized two medical centers with Achievement Awards during ceremonies at the World of Concrete 2006: The Park Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colo. and the Franklin Park Medical Center in Spokane, Wash.

Park Ridge Medical Center
Located on a very small and awkward site that has a steep slope, the Park Ridge Medical Center is a 44,000-square-foot, three-story spec building in Lone Tree, Colo. that needed to accommodate a diverse range of tenants.

Therefore, it was crucial that costs were saved on the core and shell construction in order for funds to be used for tenant finishes. Although the owners were unfamiliar with tilt-up, they selected the method for this project because of its cost-effectiveness, speed of construction, durability and ability to achieve the desired aesthetics.

Wanting the building to be different than other tilt-up projects, the architect chose a design that eliminated the typical vertical panel joints at the corners. This was achieved by mitering inside and outside corners and incorporating integral 90-degree return-corner panels. By using a 1.5-foot thin leg at the three-story panels, large punch windows were incorporated into the design to capture front range views.

The project was submitted by Intergroup Architects of Littleton, Colo., with other TCA member Involvement from CAL Construction.

The building uses the site cast tilt-up walls to support a large porte cochere. Tilt-up also offers a very clean connection to the building for the roof assembly, and the opposite end is supported by large tapering tilt-up columns that typically would be cast-in-place or precast.

Natural stone veneer inlays are recessed into the panels, which maximize the pedestrian level visual appeal. Additional architectural features include simple reveals and building up of color, recessing the panels above the third floor windows to create a shadow line and additional depth in the exterior façade, as well as an entry crown of steel that is supported by the tilt-up panels and would have been prohibitive with conventional construction methods. The columns on the exterior create the depth of a conventional steel frame building, which make the structure look less boxy.

All of these enhancements proved successful. The architectural control committee initially did not favor tilt-up construction, but they were so pleased with the results that they would like to see more tilt-up buildings in the office park. Tilt-up allowed the owner to allot additional funds to the tenant finishes and have the facility 80 percent leased when the first caisson was drilled.

Franklin Park Medical Center
Located on six small residential lots across the street from a hospital and an elementary school at the corner of two minor arterials, the site for the 49,000-square-foot Franklin Park Medical Center in Spokane, Wash. had extremely limited access.

The design of the building included a basement level parking garage that was 12 feet below the elevation of the street and 15 feet behind the curb.
Keeping the safety of workers paramount, the tilt-up basement walls were cast on a sloping broom finished basement floor and erected so that no worker had to go behind the wall and risk a collapse of the excavation at the road.

The walls were cast high enough so they formed the edge form of the first floor structural slab. The basement parking garage extended 20 feet past the south edge of the building. This meant that the south tilt-up wall face had to bear on a beam line.

The floor and beam structure was designed using post-tensioned beams running one direction with 6-inch-wide by 24-inch-deep cast-in-place concrete joists in the other direction. Lite-deck foam forms were used for the joists that spanned up to 44 feet. After the floor was cast, it was used as the casting area for all of the upper walls.

With 24,500 square feet of gross wall area and only 12,000 square feet of floor area, the panels had to be cast two- to three-high. Slab deflection during casting, brace point location and fall protection all added to the complexity of the task. Immediately after erecting the main panels, the fourth floor deck was installed and the roof framed.

Because many people were exposed to falls at the building's perimeter, sleeves were cast into the top of the panels to receive dowels and cattle gates. The gates went up with the panels and formed the structure for fall protection systems. A radius surrounds all punched openings and embedded thin brick add to the appeal of the facility.

This project, submitted by DIVCON Inc. of Spokane, Wash. with additional assistance from DCI Engineers, demonstrates how complexities can be mitigated by utilizing tilt-up.