Message From the Director: Can it Get Better Than This?
What a great time to be involved in the Tilt-Up industry! This edition of the Tilt-Up Today is our official TCA Achievement Awards issue and I think you will be as impressed as I that aesthetics and innovation in Tilt-Up have achieved yet another high. I have been involved with the TCA since the inception of the awards program, originally as a board member and for the past 14 years as Executive Director. The first few years we had difficulty even getting members to submit projects for awards. That began to change about 6-7 years ago and I find myself asking each year, “Can next year’s crop of projects possibly outdo this year’s?” – yet this seems to be happening on an annual basis. This year is no exception.
The number of projects submitted continues to increase, the quality continues to improve, and complexity and innovation reach new heights every year. Those of you who were able to attend this year’s awards presentation (a great achievement in itself thanks to Otto Nero, Jim Baty and Ben Saltzman) have a better appreciation for this advancement. I am referring in particular to the award winning projects submitted by Charles Van Eck of Kloof, South Africa. You will read more about these projects, the Sibaya Casino and Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, in this issue but suffice it to say these descriptions and photos don’t do justice to the projects. Hearing Charles talk of the challenges and describe some of the intricacies in detail, adds to the appreciation I have for the work being done not only in South Africa, but around the World. I think that Charles and others in remote markets don’t know that you aren’t supposed to be able to do that in Tilt-Up – perhaps not even at all. Charles himself remarked that initially he did the projects that no one knew how to build. They came to him and he said sure, I can do that – and then proceeded to determine how.
Religious buildings, office buildings, distribution centers, and retail centers continue to innovate and expand the Tilt-Up horizon. California also made a comeback this year in terms of award winning projects displacing Florida as the state with the most award winners. Perhaps they heard my ramblings that Florida was where the innovation (in the US) was occurring.
This gets me to my passion for Tilt-Up and the fact that Tilt-Up is developing its own vernacular for construction – projects that, when viewed, are difficult if not impossible to imagine constructing with any other medium. Once architects discover what is possible with Tilt-Up, more of them will incorporate it into their palate of construction materials and methods.
There is some indication that this is beginning to happen. The Architecture of Tilt-Up, the first publication produced specifically for architectural consumption, sold out of its initial printing of 500 copies within the first half year. The second printing, at a new lower price, should continue to spread the word. If you haven’t received your copy, now is the time to order. Many contractors are purchasing multiple copies and giving them to their architects, owners, and clients so they can appreciate what is being accomplished in Tilt-Up.
Lastly, don’t forget to set aside October 4-7, 2006 to attend the second annual Tilt-Up convention. New topics, new buildings, demonstrations, and even a golf tournament will be held he held at this year’s event. The venue is the Inverness Conference Center in Englewood, Colorado, just south of Denver. I’ll see you there.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director
TCA Board of Directors
