Construction is underway on one of the first blast-resistant tilt wall buildings in the United States. Designed by Powers Brown Architecture and being built by Harvey-Cleary Builders, the facility will accommodate a Department of Defense (DoD) contractor, The Army Corps of Engineers.
As such, it is designed in accordance with the United Facilities Criteria (UFC) for Department of Defense Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings.
In particular, the building meets both the standoff criteria and the blast resistance criteria for the medium level of protection defined as Minor Damage:
- Building damage will be economically repairable.
- Space in and around damaged area can be used and will be fully functional after cleanup and repairs.
- Glazing will fracture, remain in the frame and result in a minimal hazard consisting of glass dust and slivers.(Minimal hazard rating)
- Doors will stay in frames, but will not be reusable.
- Personnel in damaged area potentially suffer minor to moderate injuries, but fatalities are unlikely.
- Personnel in areas outside damaged areas will potentially experience superficial injuries.
This definition is meant to defend against a Level Two weight explosive as defined by the guidelines and comparable to the bombs from the 1993 World Trade Center attack.
The building is constructed utilizing tilt wall construction and is approximately 123,000 gross square feet. The ‘Z’-shaped footprint sets up a centralized core area and divides the leasable area into 2 pods. This arrangement allows for either independent or inter-linkable work space pods that can facilitate a single-tenant or multi-tenant scenario. Blast resistant glazing and frames, steel cladding, and defensible entries characterize the exterior.
The facility is on track for LEED Gold Certification with Enhanced Commissioning.
TCA was founded in 1986 to improve the quality and acceptance of site cast Tilt-Up construction, a construction method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place. Tilt-Up construction is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction and minimal capital investment. For more information about the TCA, visit www.tilt-up.org.
