The unique geophysical conditions in Beaufort, S.C., played a crucial role in the Tilt-Up design of the Community Bible Church. Not only did the structure have to be able to resist seismic activity and hurricane-force winds (a major factor in the selection of Tilt-Up), but also the building site’s location over a 30-foot-deep marsh required Citadel Contractors to create a foundation that incorporated 380 wood piles. The crew also had to work around existing live oak trees, and all designs were subject to review by an architectural board.
By incorporating details such as thin-set brick, light gold paint, a standing-seam copper roof and a porte-cochere constructed from Tilt-Up spandrel panels atop cast-in-place columns, the contractor was able to pass architectural muster.
The building’s large assembly space posed construction challenges on a tight site—74,000 square feet of panels had to be cast on a 48,200-square-foot floor slab with two different elevations, and the 80-foot steeple, which isn’t directly supported by a foundation, required a steel-braced composite slab at 26 feet above the floor.
In the first six months after the building was completed, the church saw its attendance triple.
Port Royal, SC 29906
United States
The Tilt-Up Achievement Awards were established to honor projects that use site-cast tilt-up concrete to introduce new building types, advance industry technology and provide unique solutions to building programs. Winning entries illustrate the variety, beauty, and flexibility of tilt-up construction.
ACHIEVEMENT
2008
The world’s greatest tilt-up structures are featured by the TCA as Tilt-Up Achievement Award Winners. Learn more >