Tilt-Up Concrete Spandrel Assemblies and Methods

Abstract

A system and method of tilt-up or tiltwall concrete building construction using concrete spandrels cast on-site together with permanent steel columns that are integrally attached to unite the spandrels into a lightweight and versatile tilt-up assembly that is strong and durable and that can be safely and efficiently made and maneuvered into final position for cost-effective building construction, the resulting assembly also allowing for continuous horizontal spans of ribbon-like window glass with minimal obstruction, thereby maximizing visibility and natural lighting and enabling easy accommodations for architectural requirements.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tiltwall construction method for constructing structural walls of a building, comprising:
 casting a plurality of reinforced concrete castings on one or more surfaces, said plurality including a first casting and a second casting having a non-contiguous relationship such that a span of separation exists between said first and second castings;   positioning substantially parallel structural steel columns to span across said span of separation between said first and second castings;   while one or more of said castings are positioned on one of said surfaces, securing said columns to said castings in a manner that permanently positions said first casting to be spaced apart from said second casting, thereby permanently maintaining said noncontiguous relationship between said first and second castings, and whereby said columns and said castings are integrally united to form a composite tilt-up panel assembly; and   after said structurally securing step, tilting said composite tilt-up panel assembly from a substantially horizontal position to an upright position, wherein said span of separation is oriented as a vertical span between said first and second reinforced concrete castings.   
     
     
         2 . A tiltwall construction method for constructing structural walls of a multistory building, comprising:
 forming a slab foundation for said multistory building, said slab foundation including steel embed plates positioned to be used as bearing surfaces for supporting structural columns of said multistory building;   creating a plurality of forms that define elongate, generally rectangular casting spaces, said casting spaces being defined in part by a surface of said slab foundation;   positioning rebar mats in said casting spaces;   positioning substantially parallel multistory structural steel columns in orientations that are generally perpendicular to the elongate aspects of said casting spaces and that span across said first and second spans, each of a plurality of said columns having a plurality of weldments protruding from commonly-oriented longitudinal surfaces thereof, and each of said plurality of columns having an integral base plate at one of its longitudinal ends, whereby each of said columns is positioned such that at least one of its said weldments is oriented to extend into the casting space of one of said forms and such that at least another of its said weldments is oriented to extend into the casting space of another of said forms;   casting a plurality of elongate, generally-rectangular, reinforced concrete castings in said casting spaces in a manner such that said weldments are embedded in concrete of said castings, thereby integrally uniting said columns to said castings to form a composite tilt-up panel assembly, said plurality of castings including a first casting, a second casting, and a third casting, said first and second castings having a non-contiguous relationship such that a first span of separation exists between said first and second castings, and said second and third castings having a non-contiguous relationship such that a second span of separation exists between said second and third castings;   after said casting step, tilting said composite tilt-up panel assembly from a substantially horizontal position to an upright position, whereby said first and second spans are oriented as vertical spans between said first and second castings and said second and third castings, respectively;   after said tilting step, structurally securing the base plate of each of said plurality of columns to at least one of said steel embed plates of said foundation, thereby structurally securing said composite tilt-up panel to said foundation in said upright position; and   installing window mounts at the edges of said first and second spans to allow for mounting of horizontal bands of windows across said composite tiltwall panel assembly.