The complexity of formwork

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Formwork companies in the region continue to grow with the launch of new products to suit the market and expansion plans of their facilities, reports Features Editor Shikha Mishra.

Over the past few decades, concrete has played an important part in shaping buildings all over the world – and in turn so has formwork, as it acts as the mould which casts and shapes concrete.

In reinforced concrete construction, up to 70% of the cost and a bulk of labour time is associated with formwork.
Every construction site has individual requirements and the type of formwork should be chosen accordingly.

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“It depends on the structure, the quantity and educational level of available labourers, the budget, the aimed floor cycle period, the thickness of the wall, slab, column or whatever is going to be concreted.

Therefore the contractor and the formwork supplier should work together as a team to help the contractor achieve his expectations by using the most cost effective formwork solution,” says Hans Joachim Rau, managing director, Peri.

Peri introduced the Skydeck, a panelised slab formwork, to the UAE market during the Big 5 in 2008.

Skydeck is a lightweight aluminium slab formwork system for slab thicknesses up to 950 mm.

“No individual component exceeds 15 kgs. The system is easy to clean and needs fewer props: for a 3.45 m² field, only one prop is used with a 400 mm slab thickness. Through the use of the drop head, removal of formwork can take place the following day which frees up material for the next concreting cycle,” says Rau.

The company also introduced the LICO lightweight column formwork which allows the forming of columns without a crane. LICO can be used for square and rectangular cross-sections with widths ranging from 20 cms to 60 cms. With additional ties, shear wall sections up to 1.30 m long are possible. LICO column elements are available in heights of 0.50 m, 1 m and 3 m.

All elements can be moved by hand and the connecting parts are permanently attached to the panels, which mean they cannot be lost.

“This has a special advantage on the local market as the construction sites are very big and material (especially if it is small) can get lost easily,” says Rau.

Falls from elevated locations are among the most common types of accident in the construction industry. These accidents are mainly caused by insufficient safety measures at the working platforms and vertical access facilities, and also due to the constantly changing working conditions. With health and safety issues becoming vitally important on construction sites, the contractors in the UAE have begun relying on formwork systems that deliver both quality and safety. 

“Doka manufactures its products in Europe, where safety requirements are very high. We also offer a wide array of safety solutions that minimise accident risk and make for a fast and cost-efficient workflow,” says Peter Vogel, general manager, Doka Gulf