An Analytical study of effective formwork systems for high-rise building construction in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Formwork system is the most important factor determining the project success especially, in high-rise building construction projects in terms of speed, quality cost and safety of the work as it accounts 40% of the total project cost of the structure. The contractor needs to complete the project in the shortest time possible as a means to minimise the cost and the clients wants the building to start the business as early as possible. The most effective way to speed up the works in high-rise buildings is to achieve a very short floor cycle to have the structure of typical floors completed in the shortest time. That directly depends on the selected formwork type for the particular construction project. Thus, appropriate selection of an effective formwork system is crucial factor in successfully completing any high-rise building project. Two case studies were carried out to analyse the cost for different types of formwork: modern conventional method; semi-system formwork; and, Aluminium panel system formwork use in construction projects. Case study projects were selected among high-rise buildings projects more than 25 stories which are located in Colombo metropolises in Sri Lanka. The results indicated that the cost of formwork does not directly affect to the total project cost but the type of formwork is highly affected to the total project cost especially, in high-rise building construction projects. Accordingly, the Aluminium panel system formwork reduces the project duration and hence, the total project cost and gives construction structure a very high quality finish though the Aluminium panel system is very expensive itself. Moreover, this study reveals most cost effective formwork system for high-rise buildings more than 25 stories is the Aluminium panel system comparatively. Thus, this outcome is useful to decision makers to select the most appropriate formwork system for high-rise building construction.