Mather Commerce Center

The first phase of a six building, planned corporate office campus, this facility utilized Tilt-Up because of its ease and economy of construction and its aesthetic possibilities.

With a strong appreciation for modern architecture, the client wanted a contemporary building that would create a strong identity for the development. As such, an architectural concept for the building was developed that incorporates the mass into interlocking volumes and voids. This composition is achieved using two different Tilt-Up panel types and window treatments to show differentiation between the volumes and break up the boxy appearance associated with Tilt-Up. New methods and techniques were developed in the casting process to create a unique finish for the panels.

The facility is composed of two different types of panels that vary in height, finish, texture, window composition and color. One set of panels was left raw, right out of the casting bed and was designed to resemble cast-in-place concrete with snap-tie holes and panel joints cast into the panels. The other set of panels, which are painted, are carefully composed with deep reveals, formliner texture and color that coincides with the pattern of the aluminum window system. A recessed inset of aluminum extends from the windows into the Tilt-Up panel tying the two together. Locations where the two volumes come together define entries into the building that are highlighted by two-story lobbies, glass-enclosed staircases and metal canopies.

The Tilt-Up panels that were left raw to resemble cast-in-place concrete required extraordinary skill and care in order to create the correct finish and cast-in snap-tie holes and panel joints. Treated sheets of MDF were screwed down to the casting bed with gaps in between to achieve the desired look. These panels feature continuous ribbon windows which wrap around corners of the building. Where the raw panels meet the joining volume of the rest of the building, the ends are left freestanding to further emphasize the cast-in-place look. At the main entry, the raw Tilt-Up panels frame a glass-enclosed stair and span across the entry defining the lobby.