The tilt-up construction method was used to build the exterior walls of the St. Louis Art Museum’s new East Wing in 2013. But unlike common tilt-up, the walls were attached to the steel frame of the building, not the foundation — giving it a floating appearance, according to Tilt-Up Concrete Association, an advocacy group.
Matthew Hathaway, spokesman for the museum, said the building is inconsistent with other examples of the construction method. He said it has a column-supported roof.
The museum has several areas it has identified to use in case of emergency, he said. Among them are the windowless lower level gallery spaces and portions of the underground parking garage.
Maryville University’s Walker Hall
Walker Hall houses Maryville University’s College of Health Professionals.
The three-story Town and Country building, which opened in 2015, also features brick and glass. It was built to all applicable building codes, said university spokeswoman Marcia Sullivan.
The campus has basements in several of its buildings that it uses as tornado shelters, she said.
World Wide Technology’s Edwardsville campus
Maryland Heights-based World Wide Technology opened a 2 million-square-foot campus in 2019 in Edwardsville, 1 mile north of where the Dec. 10 tornado struck.
The campus features two buildings. The buildings passed multiple inspections before World Wide Technology occupied them. They also have “shelter in place” locations in the facility, said spokeswoman Rebecca Morrison.
In the wake of the December tornado, World Wide Technology is “actively testing and validating our safety protocols,” she said.
Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
