Events > Tilt-Up Convention and Expo 2026 - Salt Lake City > SESSION

Engineering 101

October 21, 2026 from 10:00am to 12:00pm Mountain Standard Time

Katt Price, PE

Dylan James, P.Eng.

This presentation will introduce participants to typical structural engineering designs and construction methods for tilt-up wall panels. The speaker will provide a brief history of tilt-up construction, explaining how panels were analyzed in the past and how codes have evolved to their current form. The presentation may touch briefly on the advantages of tilt-up construction, highlighting the main differences in structural engineering and construction practices. Participants will learn about each stage of panel construction, from casting the slab to completing the structure, and will become familiar with the structural terminology used during the process. The presentation's main focus will be designing a tilt-up panel for various structural forces (in-plane, out-of-plane, vertical, overturning, lifting, bracing, etc.), including typical design checks that should be carried out for most tilt panels. The speakers will also share their best practices for new designers. The target audience for this presentation includes structural engineers who are new or have minimal tilt-up engineering experience, as well as those currently practicing tilt-up design and looking to confirm their approach to typical designs. The presentation will also benefit non-engineers who want to understand what engineers do and what they look for.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Participants will be able to identify essential structural analysis elements necessary for tilt-up wall designs.
• Participants will have a general knowledge of the history and reasoning behind the building code tilt-up panel structural equations.
• Participants will know where to look to find technical resources to design tilt-up wall panels.
• Participants will be able to identify the primary differences between tilt-up wall panels and precast or cast-in-place concrete walls.