Vistakon Research and Development Lab

Vistakon, a vision care company, sought a facility that could not only serve as an advanced research and development lab, but also consolidate their different disciplines. Originally designed as a precast building, Tilt-Up was selected for the 154,662-square-foot Vistakon facility because it could meet schedule demands and it was the most cost-effective option that also offered the same architectural appeal as the precast design.

Judges commented that this was an exceptionally clean Tilt-Up project that emphasizes reveal patterns and accentuates openings.

This building was planned to allow maximum flexibility since the ratio of lab to office space varied significantly from group to group. The flexible space allows the “double-stack” of laboratories to convert to a combination of lab and open office space where appropriate.

A decorative formliner lines the top portion of the panels around the entire three-story building, and the white concrete is accented by a blue-tinted glass to give the facility a modern look. This project involved attaching site-cast, Tilt-Up concrete panels to a structural steel frame, instead of architectural pre-cast panels. This process necessitated that each of the details for the attachments to the structure be created with ease of installation as one of the primary factors.

Panels had to be setup, bolted and welded before they could be released by the crane. Further, the panels were erected on top of each other, because of their size and magnitude.