The new corporate office and large warehouse/distribution centre spanning 89,384 square feet was honoured with the national award for innovation in construction from Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) on 1 October 2010.

Nordic Naturals sought to replicate the inviting, wooden feel of a Norwegian fishing village in their new facility. The company chose Tilt-Up construction, considering it as best way to mimic their unique skylines and soaring heights.

Ausonio used efficient concrete tilt-up construction. Interior designer Vivian Gunnerengen selected the interior finishes of the building’s 41,402 square feet of offices and also acted as the owner’s representative throughout the project’s design and construction.

Ausonio used liners in the concrete panel forms that had a wood grain pattern, and added cementitious wood battens on the face of the finished panels. This has helped in achieving the Norwegian fishing village look. The building displays a wood siding look with the strength and durability of concrete. Tilt-Up proved suitable for reproducing the steep roof slopes and gables of Norwegian architecture. The board siding look also provided a more human scale to the 340ft-long massive structure with 43 and 45ft-tall walls. The team achieved this goal while targeting Gold level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification with the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

With plenty of window holes on the panels, the team was tasked with figuring out a solution that would maintain minimal panel thickness to keep the crane loads reasonable, while avoiding excessive reinforcing to keep the budget in check.

In conformity with the sustainable standards, the project used 30% regional materials and 20% recycled content. It was also designed to be 31.5% more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1-2004.

The Nordic Naturals project was managed by the new Santa Cruz office of Castroville-based construction firm, Ausonio Incorporated.

Founded in 1986, the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) strives to improve the quality and acceptance of site-cast Tilt-Up construction, a method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place. Tilt-Up construction is one of the fastest growing industries in the US, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction and minimal capital investment. At least 10,000 buildings, enclosing more than 650 million square feet, are constructed each year using this construction method.