Offices at Iron Gate

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

The Offices at Iron Gate is a 20,730-square-foot state-of-the-art medical facility designed to serve established healthcare providers in Wilmington. To meet the demands of a humid, hurricane-prone climate and a tight budget, the project team selected Tilt-Up construction for its durability, speed, and value. The owner entrusted the project to a long-standing team—a general contractor, architect, and design-build Tilt-Up contractor—who have collaborated on numerous projects over the past 15 years.

Architectural interest is achieved through the use of two distinct formliners: a wood side-lapped pattern at the entry panels and a tumbled brick formliner across the majority of the exterior, chosen to complement nearby existing structures. As a finishing detail, the building’s address was cast directly into a roadside panel, reinforcing the project’s thoughtful and durable design.To maintain a cohesive architectural aesthetic, a Tilt-Up dumpster enclosure was designed to match the main building. Using three cantilevered panels, the team successfully created a durable, visually consistent enclosure that complemented the overall design.

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

Project scheduling and site constraints significantly influenced both the design and construction approach. With only nine months from the owner’s go-ahead to the tenant move-in date, Tilt-Up construction was chosen to meet the aggressive timeline. The building structure was completed in just 10 weeks, providing ample time for interior finishes to be installed.

Site limitations also played a key role. Due to restricted crane access—available only from one side—panels were strategically designed to be repetitive and lighter in weight, enabling the crane to lift and set all panels efficiently from a single position.

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

Because of the entry feature’s significant thickness, size, and exposure to environmental forces, the engineer developed specialized internal connections to resist rollover forces and securely anchor the panel in place. This structural solution ensured both safety and long-term stability for the prominent architectural element.