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Crane-independent formwork solution ensures speedy on-site progress


Extremely limited crane capacity and a tight schedule combine, so the formwork for Belfast’s 80-metre Obel Tower has to meet challenging requirements

crane independent formwork solution ensures speedy on site progress

 

crane independent formwork solution ensures speedy on site progressFernwave Ireland Ltd. has contracted for the CIP concreting work, and given the detailed formwork planning trimmed for maximum efficiency, the company has opted for a single-source formwork solution from Doka. Space is at a premium on the waterfront site; there is room for only one tower slewing crane and the only viable option is totally crane-independent formwork. "We are using Doka SKE 50 automatic climbers for the CIP core and the Table Lifting System TLS for crane-independent lifts of the Doka tables, so we can successfully deal with both those key challenges – limited craneage and the one-week cycle for the deck slabs", asserts Ronan McHugh, Fernwave’s Project Manager. Safety must be maintained at the highest possible level throughout every phase of the build, so the four topmost floors are enclosed by an Xclimb 60 protection shield.

Climbing 80 metres in a weekly cycle

The central CIP core of the building is being climbed with 22 of the high-end, high-capability Doka SKE 50 automatic climbing brackets. The potential of the automatic climbing formwork had to be exploited to the full right from the word go, so an experienced site foreman from Doka familiarised the people from Fernwave with the most efficient work routines and supervised final assembly. “The assistance we had from the Doka site foreman was extremely important in terms of enabling us to meet schedule on the weekly cycle for the CIP core. The standard height is 2.8 metres, and we are able to form up, set the reinforcement, and cast the concrete within two or three days with only two men”, explains Ronan McHugh.

The TLS Table Lifting System speeds up forming for the floor slabs

The floor slabs have a 600 m² footprint and are being formed with 150 Dokaflex special tables. Crane capacity is extremely limited and ideally, floor-slab forming should be crane-independent, so the tables are being lifted from level to level with two TLS table lifting systems. “It’s very much on account of the fact that we are using TLS units that we’ve been able to maintain this tight weekly cycle right through the floor-slabbing phase of the build. The TLS units keep our shifting times short and allow us to reap the benefit of continuous and speedy workflows”, emphasises Ronan McHugh. The Table Lifting System also significantly reduces labour costs by comparison with craned lifts. Lifting the floor-slab tables is a job easily handled by two labourers on their own. One man with a Doka electro-hydraulic trolley removes the tables from their original positions and shifts them onto the TLS lifting platform. He then hits a button to take the tables straight up to the next level in a matter of seconds. The other member of the two-man crew is waiting with a second trolley to take the tables off the lift and manoeuvre them straight into position. In terms of industrial safety, too, the TLS has a huge lead over crane lifts. The Table Lifting System is permanently fixed to the structure, it incorporates a raft of active and passive safety features and can safely be used on high-rise builds when the wind is blowing strongly – in other words even after safety considerations have brought the site cranes to a halt.

From DOKA News 22/Sep/2009

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