Dura-Line

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

Unique is the word that describes the Dura-Line Facility. Located in the northwest quadrant of the Salt Lake Valley it is surrounded by other large painted concrete manufacturing facilities. Dura-Line stands out and features unpainted exposed concrete tilt-up panels of high-quality finish highlighting concrete for what it is.

The global company wanted to make a statement of permanence and conservation, the facility highlights the energy and environmental savings that come from a structure that requires very little maintenance for the long life of the building. Using a simple product – concrete – and showing the versatility and visually complex nature that can be achieved with a quality preparation in tilt-up panels is a quality that Dura-Line themselves demand in all of their products, and certainly demanded in the facility that would represent them.

Architectural exposed tilt-up must have the highest level of quality from slab preparation, through shop drawing detail, and through all levels of construction. There are not opportunities to patch and paint - quality is the basis of this system. Making sure there was consistency in the concrete product source and batch was key so the color and design could be highlighted rather than detract.

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

Crews dealt with a harsh winter and material shortages on top of a fast-paced schedule. Many problems were solved by using a Hughes GC crane and support resources.

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

The crew had to maintain the pace of a painted building even thought the schedule/design did not allow for patch and paint. Intense QA/QC had to be in place.

What is the potential for this project's impact on the community and/or environment?

Repainting a building of this size is a significant investment over the lifespan of a building. Exposed tilt-up avoids that effort and environmental impact.