Why Developers Choose Tilt-Up Construction for Multi-Story Residential Buildings

Ontario's First Affordable Housing Tilt-Up Project

You drive by a residential construction project, and you notice something you haven’t seen before. Construction workers are building the walls for the residential structure on the ground. After all the walls are completed, the workers tilt the walls into place, before finishing the outside of the project by installing the roof.

Welcome to tilt-up construction, which offers developers several reasons to opt for the residential construction method.

Less Time Spent on the Project

Most construction projects follow the fixed price model. A contractor places a fixed price bid based on several factors, including labor and material costs. As one of the quickest methods for building multi-story buildings, tilt-up construction reduces the amount of time spent on a multi-unit residential building project. Developers that want to construct and sell housing units as quickly as possible should consider going with the tilt-up construction method.

Low Risk to Build

Multi-level housing projects come with numerous risks, with property damage produced by natural causes at the top of the list. Think fire, severe storm, and gale force winds. Another risk category is called fundamental, which refers to artificial factors coming from outside influences. There is also a speculative risk, as well as the risks produced by work delays and disputes. Tilt-up construction significantly reduces all types of risk, especially the damage caused by natural disasters. It represents a long lasting construction solution for residential structures.

Tilt-Up Construction for Multi-level buildings - Tilt Wall Ontario
The Innovative Village Apartments at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton consists of two 7- and 8-story buildings surrounding a courtyard. The project received an Award of Excellence from the Tilt-up Concrete Association.

Going Green

With the minimal loss of heating and cooling, tilt-up construction is a highly energy efficient method for affordable housing projects. Insulation added within the first concrete panel traps rising heat, as well as ensures the cool air circulated by an air conditioning unit remains inside the building. Additional concrete layers enhance the energy efficiency of tilt-up buildings with up to 30% compared to traditional building methods.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Another advantage of concrete panels installed with insulation is the panels require little, if any maintenance over an extended period. This is true even for tilt-up structures built in less than hospitable climates of Canada. Highly resistant to the damage caused by severe weather, concrete paneled tilt-up construction projects are simple to clean and repair after a natural disaster.

Design Versatility that Meets the Highest Standard

Developers love to work on multi-level housing projects that offer plenty of design freedom. Well, that is exactly what tilt-up construction projects offer residential developers. The custom made panels can create a wide variety of architectural designs, which is important for developers that work in areas of the country that have strict residential zoning ordinances.

Woodland Construction built an 8-story tilt-up structure for the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida

Tilt-Up Residential Buildings Can Rise to Between 5 and 10 Stories

During its infant stage, tilt-up construction limited developers to build structures that spanned just a couple of stories. Now, developers have the opportunity to use tilt-up construction for projects that extend between five and ten stories. The increase in structure height has permitted developers to design mixed-use commercial and residential buildings.

Tilt-up construction projects are limited to the size of the property where the structure is built. In general, developers require only an addition 10% of space than the space covered by an entire residential structure. With advancements coming at a rapid pace, we have just scratched the surface of tilt-up construction.

Interested to learn more? Contact the Tilt Wall team to discuss the opportunities with Tilt-Up on your next building project.

Tilt-Up Resource Guide - Tilt Wall Ontario