The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) – an international nonprofit organization that serves to expand and improve the use of tilt-up as the preferred building system – announces a transition of leadership for the technical committee it participates in: ACI 551 Tilt-Up Concrete. The committee is part of the technical committee structure for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and includes participation of more than two dozen individuals from TCA staff and member organizations. The transition of leadership includes the ascension of Andrew McPherson, president for Seretta Construction Inc. of Apopka, Florida as he takes over for Jeff Griffin, Senior Project Manager for LJB Inc. of Oakwood, Ohio.

Under Griffin’s leadership spanning two terms (six years), the committee accomplished the significant publishing of its two primary documents, ACI 551.1R-14 – Guide to Tilt-Up Concrete Construction and ACI 551.2R-15 – Design Guide for Tilt-Up Concrete Panels, both of which were updates from earlier versions. Additionally, the committee delivered education sessions at two ACI Conventions and completed work for an on-demand course titled “Tilt-Up Concrete Construction,” taken from one of those education workshops. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve two terms as the chair of the ACI 551 Committee,” stated Griffin. “LJB began working with the tilt-up method long before many other design firms. We are passionate about its value to building owners and its application to a variety of building types. It has been rewarding to work with so many other talented, motivated professionals who are invested in advancing the tilt-up construction method.”

When asked about the accomplishments of the committee, Griffin said, “I am proud of the committee’s ability to work together to revise and reissue The Tilt-Up Design Guide, and to present that information at the national convention. As more professionals better understand the intricacies of tilt-up design, they can apply the established guidelines to make tilt-up project designs safe, efficient and complete. I know that under McPherson’s leadership, the committee will continue to improve the way tilt-up is perceived, designed and constructed.”

McPherson is inheriting a committee well underway on key development projects looking at some of the newest design practices and construction technologies affecting the industry. These include multi-story tilt-up office panels and structures, along with insulated sandwich panels designed with composite action. “Jeff did a good job for the committee, the least being the fact that he agreed to a second three-year term when no one else stepped up,” stated McPherson. “He helped address a number of important issues that arose during his six years as Chair. The committee grew and became very diversified, which can only benefit the overall production and effectiveness of the work produced by 551.”

When asked about his thoughts on taking over the committee leadership, McPherson said, “Being a committee chair is time consuming, and I don’t think people really understand all that is involved. Regardless, I am glad to be the new Chair of 551. There are a lot of topics we are working on in regard to white papers and potential research areas. I think this is a result of the diverse committee membership. Not everyone is focused on the same aspects of tilt-wall, which should greatly help in what results we can produce.”

Under Griffin ACI 551’s Construction Guide (2015) and Design Guide (2014) were significantly updated. Those have six-year shelf lives before the committee determines whether a short-term reaffirmation or further updating is necessary. “It will not be long until we are going to have to either rewrite or re-approve our guidelines, which is always a very time-consuming process,” stated McPherson. “Until then, we know there are many new works in progress that will eventually continue to strengthen the technical position of these documents, further shaping the resources available to the next generations of tilt-up professionals.”

“ACI 551 has long been a valuable resource and work committee that parallels the interests and efforts of the TCA,” states James Baty, the TCA’s manager for regulatory and technical affairs. “Through the efforts of passionate industry leaders, this committee has been able to influence other ACI documents, such as 301 – Specifications and 117 – Tolerances to incorporate critical information to further validate the significance of the tilt-up industry while also defending state-of-the-art design practices through the rationalization of ACI 318.”

The effort to produce and maintain The Design Guide for Tilt-Up Panels was a critical step forward in the application of ACI 318 methodology to tilt-up, as the TCA set out to produce the Engineering of Tilt-Up technical resource at the core of TCA’s industry library. Likewise, the on-demand course serves as the precursor for the new effort to launch later this summer, to be known as Tilt-Up Academy, which will offer a significantly broader spectrum of on-demand courses for professionals and other parties interested in expanding their knowledge of tilt-up.

Interested industry participants should contact James Baty at 319-895-6911 or jbaty@tilt-up.org.