Although the use of shadow panels (panels that are cast in front of or perpendicular to the structural or building enclosure panels) is not a new concept in Tilt-Up design, the method is making a comeback.

The design of this 248,320 square foot factory and office building for Grief Brothers, manufacturers of cardboard boxes, called for such an unusual entrance design. Utilizing Tilt-Up construction, the team was able to allude to the entrance being a piece of cardboard. Tilt-Up flying buttresses were attached to the main building by welding to embed plates at the joints. Then, a free-form reinforced concrete slab was poured in place to create the entrance canopy. Steel reinforcing bars and studded anchors embedded in the tops of the wall openings tie the slab into the buttresses. This magic, as well as some “cardboard colored” paint, did the trick.

Concrete Tilt-Up wall construction also was used for the remainder of the $4,900,000 building, completed within a six-month schedule. The largest panel weighs more than 126,200 lbs., with the tallest panel towering more than 44 feet high. The design team also utilized large window openings in the panel design to provide natural lighting to the factory.

For more information about this project, please contact John Hawkins of Kovert Hawkins Architects at (812) 282-9554