Dole Fresh Cut Flowers

As the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers, Dole Food Company has been building refrigerated facilities for many years. When it came to choosing a method to insulate their new Corporate Headquarters and Distribution center for the fresh-cut flowers division in Miami, it was a "no-brainer". Using the THERMOMASS® Building System along with Tilt-Up construction worked best for the owner's needs.

Dole had already built many buildings using with the method and were therefore familiar with its benefits such as its ability to withstand heavy wind loads, such as those common with many of the tropical storms and hurricanes that South Florida experiences made it the right choice. Factor in the accelerated schedule required to complete the project and all roads lead to using Tilt-Up versus masonry.

The general contractor for the project contracted the tilt contractor to perform Tilt-Up concrete construction for the 326,000 square foot structure. In a climate where temperatures can hover above 80 degrees year-round, energy management is crucial. The Thermomass® method produces an insulated concrete sandwich wall system by using a two-component system consisting of fiber composite connectors and pre-formed STYROFOAM® brand insulation.

Four inches of the pre-cut foam was placed on top of 2 ½ inches of poured concrete. After the connectors are placed in the pre-punched holes, another 9 ¼ inches of structural concrete is poured on top. The finished panels are more than 15 ¾ inches thick.

To build South Florida's largest refrigerated facility took over 160 panels, most weighing over 120,000 lbs., with the largest weighing it at nearly 150,000 lbs. In total, Tilt-Con poured over 12,500 cubic yards of concrete!

This was the tilt contractor's first foray into the product, but installation went smoothly. Working with any new product facilitates a learning curve, but fortunately the learning was quick. The toughest challenge was fitting the pre-cut foam into the panel forms. The additional steps required in the Thermomass installation also created a significant challenge. To keep on the aggressive schedule, the crews had to double up. As a result, the tilt contractor was able to finish the project in a mere ten weeks!