Concrete Strategies has completed a record-breaking tilt-up of 16 massive, insulated panels at the site of Pernod Ricard’s upcoming Jefferson’s Bourbon distillery project in Lebanon, Kentucky.
The 18-inch-thick, 91-foot-tall panels, weighing nearly 340,000 pounds, are the largest insulated panels ever erected using tilt-up construction, according to the Tilt-Up Concrete Association. The tallest and heaviest fully insulated panels ever erected required an 880-ton crane to lift them.
Tilt-up concrete construction is a process in which concrete panels are cast onsite and raised into position with a crane. While historically used for warehouses, over time the practice has become a sought-after method for a wide range of projects, including churches, libraries, retail centers, and anything in-between.
“This is a historic accomplishment for the Clayco family. I want to commend our team and construction partners for completing this record-breaking, momentous tilt-up,” said Barclay Gebel, vice president of Concrete Strategies, an integrated Clayco company.
Concrete Strategies is part of the business family of Clayco,. Clayco is serving as design-builder, general contractor, structural engineer, process engineer, and architect for the project, which includes 18 whiskey storage buildings.
Tilting up the walls is a signature moment for the construction in the 256-acre distillery, storage campus, and visitor center.
The worksite has also been incredibly safe over more than 102,000 man hours. The site has gone without a reportable incident for the length of the entire project, more than 180 days.
In addition to employing safe and revolutionary tilt-up construction practices, the Pernod Ricard campus will be the first green field distillery of its size in the United States to achieve LEED certification. The campus will feature low-carbon electrode boilers powered by renewable energy, allowing the distillery to completely cut fossil fuels out of bourbon production.
The campus will make a major impact on tourism in the area by drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year. Upon projected completion in the third quarter of 2024, the facility is expected to produce more than 7.5 million proof gallons of bourbon annually.