Chuck Doyle of C.E. Doyle, Inc. in Slinger, Wis., is an old-line masonry contractor who has also dabbled in steel buildings for commercial and light industrial clients. These days, however, he has become a spokesman for a very different – and is convinced – superior construction system.

The tilt-up concrete structures he touts to clients across the Dairy State are a new variation on an old theme. Tilt-up has been around for more than 75 years. However, the panels that Doyle is building employ some new technology that improves on the idea. The basis of the system is a panel that sandwiches extruded rigid insulation between two wythes of reinforced concrete. Doyle says that the advantage of the panels is that they employ an extruded fiber glass tie in place of either steel ties attached to shear plates embedded in the concrete wythes, or alternately solid concrete ribs in place of the ties.

“These panels are nearly 100 percent thermally efficient,” Doyle notes. “We think that gives us a major advantage over other systems” Concurring with that opinion is Bob Foley of CON/STEEL in Dayton, Ohio, who is engineering and designing the buildings that Doyle is construction. “The steel ties or concrete ribs short-circuit the thermal efficiency of the wall,” says Foley. “The rigid insulation and fiber glass ties eliminate this significant loss of thermal value.”

Doyle, says Foley, has been the most aggressive contractor he’s yet encountered in marketing the system. This aggressive marketing stance is turning heads in a state where conservatism is the watchword. “These upper Midwesterners don’t like to be the first to try something new. But even more, they hate to be the last,” Doyle says.

How has Doyle overcome this natural resistance? Principally through aggressive marketing. He says, “We’ve tried a little of everything. We’ve gone to shows and set up a booth there. We’ve used these methods to get our name in front of people. But all that does is get you name recognition. It doesn’t generate responses. So we’ve created a brochure which has a return card attached. In it is a lot of consumer information that suggests why they might consider this type of construction.

The brochure touts the advantages of the system. It points out that the new fiberglass ties develop twice the strength of similar ties made of steel. It presents a lucid explanation of the thermal mass or composite wall system. Doyle explains, “We know we have the best building system. Now we’re working on the sizzle that goes with the steak.”

He admits that the job is just beginning. Customers can quickly see the advantages of the tilt-up system, but they also see a higher price tag than the more conventional masonry and steel structures that have been de rigeur in the area. “Our next break-through will be to define for them why they should pay 5 to 10 percent more for our system. We have to ‘dollarize’ it for them.”

“We’re right in the infancy of that program. But we can feel the groundswell. Skepticism is fading. Sooner or later they are going to see what we’ve been telling them – that they can save money in heating and cooling costs and that the value of their building can double in 10 to 15 years and will be worth more when it has outlived their use and they want to sell it to someone else.”

So far Doyle and his firm have constructed five major projects throughout the state, including office/warehouse and office/manufacturing faculties, as well as a building that houses a veneering operation for a lumber company. Doyle says that those buildings may be the best advertisement for the system. “We actually see people driving by them to get a closer look and stopping to ask if they can see the facilities. People are even flying into the state just to get a look at them,” he reveals. One such facility was building constructed for Sullivan Dental Products, a fast-growing and widely recognized medical supply firm.

But with all this, the biggest sales tool that Doyle may have is himself, according to Foley. “Chuck’s enthusiasm for the system may be the biggest marketing tool he has,” he says.

Doyle reluctantly agrees, and then lets his enthusiasm boil over. “I’ve built masonry buildings all my life. That was my staple. And I’ve also put up steel buildings. But now, I’ve got the best system for building I’ve ever seen.”

Foley is impressed by Doyle’s enthusiasm. “Chuck has taken this as a mission,” he says. “He committed to it and his commitment comes through. He has an established reputation, so when he tells the potential customer, ‘I’ve made a switch for these reasons’ it carries a lot of weight. He’s taken a unique product and brought it to the marketplace.”

Doyle turns the conversation into a mutual admiration society. “I’ve wanted to get into this system and by happy circumstance, I walked by Bob’s booth at a show. He’s provided the expertise and engineering that we didn’t have. He provided the missing dimension I needed to be successful,” he concludes.

A Most Flexible System-

Tilt-up construction, which records show began before 1910 through the efforts of Illinois contractor Robert Aikens, provides a variety of benefits – including speed of construction. But perhaps the biggest advantage is flexibility, according to both Doyle and Foley. Says Doyle, “Designers are crazy about it. They have complete design freedom to create whatever they want.”

Doyle cites the buildings Foley has designed for him for erecting in Wisconsin.

He could just as easily point to structures all over the country, particularly in markets like California, where tilt-up construction is much more widely accepted.

Among the types of buildings in which the technique has been employed are banks, warehouses, office buildings, shopping centers, apartment buildings, and even churches. The uses are limited only by the architect's imagination.

A major advantage of the system is the ability to employ a variety of surface colors and textures. Exterior facings can include stone, stucco, brick, exposed aggregates, dimpled, and even painted surfaces.

Various shapes are also possible. Curved surfaces, tromp l’oeil, mitered corners, varying joint widths, rustication and other architectural options are easily executed with tilt-up.