Physicians Office Pavillion at WakeMed North Healthplex

The decision to use Tilt-Up construction for an 80,000-square-foot office building at WakeMed North Healthplex was an easy one, as the owner was already well-versed in the benefits of the method. However, the surrounding hospital buildings had been constructed on steel frames with brick and EIFS façades, meaning that Citadel Contractors faced a challenge in matching the Tilt-Up structure to those around it.

To do this, the project’s architect conceived a design that includes a 14-foot retaining wall that supports three stories of curtain wall, taking advantage of Tilt-Up’s shear capabilities to overcome structural challenges. Thin brick was applied to the building’s façade to match the brick exteriors of the adjacent buildings.

A 20-foot retaining wall with an integral water feature further ties the new building into its surroundings, and demanded considerable precision and coordination from the contractor when connecting it to the existing hospital. Concrete benches were also added in the courtyard area, and the concrete on the retaining walls was left uncoated to allow its natural beauty to be displayed.