Garage Point

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

The Garage Point project involved the construction of a 6-building tilt-up structure, consisting of a total of 165 panels spanning 87,000 square feet, along with 112,000 square feet of concrete slabs. The primary challenge on this job stemmed from the existing site conditions. One of the four sides of the development abutted a hillside, which presented difficulties in erecting the panels situated closest to the hill. This unique topographical feature of the site required specialized planning and execution to successfully install the tilt-up components in that area.

Navigating the hillside location along one edge of the project footprint added complexity to the panel erection process. The team had to devise specialized rigging and sequencing strategies to safely install the tilt-up elements adjacent to the sloped terrain. Overcoming this site-specific obstacle was crucial to delivering the 6-building complex as designed.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The sloping nature of the project site introduced significant obstacles and challenges when it came time to erect the tilt-up panels. The uneven terrain required the crane operator to carefully navigate across previously installed slabs and panels in order to access and lift into place the panels for adjacent buildings. Due to these site-specific difficulties, a highly detailed logistics and panel pick plan had to be meticulously implemented. Coordinating the sequencing and positioning of the crane movements was crucial to safely and accurately installing all 165 panels across the 6-building complex.

The sloped conditions of the location placed additional constraints on the erection process that had to be accounted for in the planning. The crane needed to traverse completed portions of the work in order to reach and lift the panels for other buildings, necessitating a thoughtful logistics strategy. Careful execution of this detailed plan was essential to successfully completing the panel installation despite the site's topographical challenges.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

The sloped topography of the site presented a challenge in maintaining consistent panel heights across the different building elevations. Due to the grade change, the panels on one side of the structures would have been significantly taller than those on the opposite side. To address this issue, the All-Phase team proposed adding a stem wall foundation element. This would effectively shorten the taller panels situated on the higher side of the slope, allowing all of the panels to be fabricated and installed at the same uniform height.

Implementing the stem wall solution helped ensure the visual aesthetic and structural integrity of the tilt-up buildings by normalizing the panel dimensions despite the sloping site conditions. This proactive measure taken by the All-Phase team eliminated the need to use panels of varying heights, which would have detracted from the overall design. The stem wall approach proved to be a valuable innovation that allowed the project to overcome the challenges posed by the uneven terrain. This creative solution enabled the team to maintain the intended panel specifications across the entire building envelope.