Stacked Panel Strategies for Multi-Story Medical Office Integration

The Healthpark at Kildaire MOB 2 in Cary, North Carolina is an 86,935-square-foot, five-story medical office building designed to expand outpatient healthcare services within an established medical campus. Recognized with an Excellence in Achievement Award, the project introduced a Class A facility adjacent to an existing tilt-up structure, parking garages, and a large continuing care retirement community. Located across from WakeMed Hospital, the building consolidated multiple specialties—including urgent care, orthopedics, primary care, pulmonology, pediatrics, and sleep services—into a centralized setting, reinforcing the role of tilt-up in complex healthcare environments.

The project required careful coordination of panel design and erection sequencing due to limited site space and overhead constraints. High-voltage transmission lines restricted crane operations along one edge of the building, while ongoing campus activity reduced available casting areas. In response, the project team implemented a stacked panel strategy, combining four-story panels with single-story panels above. This approach enabled the use of wider panels at the upper level while introducing a stepped façade condition that added dimensional variation. Surface articulation was achieved through sinewave formliners and coordinated reveal patterns, consistent with the adjacent structure, while selective stone veneer was integrated to align with the surrounding campus context.

Engineering and construction planning were central to the project’s success. Panel reinforcing utilized closed ties in most panel legs, reflecting the structural demands of multi-story tilt-up construction. Due to spatial limitations, panel bracing was directed inward, requiring precise coordination with the building’s structural steel. The use of 3D modeling allowed the construction team to pre-visualize brace locations and identify potential conflicts before erection began. Crane operations were also studied extensively using specialized software to ensure safe clearance from power lines and adequate reach for setting upper-level panels. This analysis led to the adoption of a luffing jib configuration for the crane, enabling safe and efficient placement of both structural steel and fifth-story panels.

The execution of these strategies resulted in a controlled and predictable erection process despite the project’s constraints. More broadly, the project demonstrates how tilt-up can be adapted for multi-story healthcare facilities in active and spatially restricted environments. By accelerating the building shell schedule, the project supported earlier tenant occupancy and contributed to the rapid activation of medical services. This outcome highlights tilt-up’s capacity to support healthcare delivery through efficient construction, coordinated design, and adaptability to complex site conditions.