The Civil Engineering Contractor November 2018 | Page 26

Louis Pieterse, MD of specialist
formwork company Staluform.
construction, we have recently sought
to diversify in order to mitigate the
risks of the construction cycle.”
Carpentry formwork is already a
dying skill, says Pieterse, with wood
seldom used anymore. Many complex
formwork in any case requires
steel shutters, meaning that most
formwork today implies using steel.
“Every time there’s a bridge or
anything similar, we do the shutters
— we are one of the few companies in
the country that do that sort of thing.
This is a job-specific type of business,
with the concrete and design for each
one being different. The client will
come to us with a concrete drawing,
and from that we do a design and
cost it. Special steel shutter tends
to be expensive with only a few
uses before the mould is discarded,
never to be used again,” explains
Pieterse. Although architectural
aesthetics is driving growing interest
in specialised formwork, Pieterse says
the fundamental nature of formwork
remains that “it must be fit for use”.
TECHNOLOGY
The formwork manufacturing process at Staluform.
“The better you can understand the
client’s requirements and how the
shutter will be used, the better the
design of the shutter. You also don’t
want something that is so cumbersome
that on site, it is difficult to erect. The
design also has to include ease of
transport of the shuttering to site,
without requiring traffic permits, as
many of the shutters are massive. This
all comes along with the skills set and
experience one accumulates.”
Most of the work Staluform
does is for major formwork and
construction companies who need
quick, accurate designs and costing.
One of the challenges of formwork,
says Pieterse, is lead time. “When a
company places an order, they usually
require it as soon as possible. We
typically have between one and three
weeks to design and manufacture
the shutters. That means we require
capacity to deliver within a short time
frame — or we don’t get the order.”
One of the construction challenges
driving increased use of specialised
“The better you can understand the client’s requirements
and how the shutter will be used, the better the design
of the shutter. You also don’t want something which is so
cumbersome that on site it is difficult to erect.”
24 | CEC November 2018
formwork is the use of self-compacting
concrete, which has the advantage of
an improved final strength through
obviating the need for vibration of
the concrete. But this can increase
the pressure on the formwork by as
much as 50%, requiring a stronger
and more expensive shutter.
On-site performance
The complex core geometry at the
Katherine Towers project in Sandton
saw PERI South Africa deploy its
RCS-CL (Rail Climbing System
Carriage Light) to reduce crane time
and maximise platform sizes for the
complex core geometry. The complex
multi-cell core structure boasts an
architectural scenic shaft opening up
in the centre of the building. Here
PERI VARIO GT24 wall formwork
was used to achieve the necessary
quality of the concrete surface finish.
PERI South Africa supplied a
complete solution for the flagship
project, encompassing design and
site supervision and transport, in
addition to a range of products and
systems to realise the intricately
designed structure.
Located at 46 Katherine Street in
Wierda Valley, Sandton, the 21 000m²
project is a mixed-use precinct.
It will also offer an additional
12 600m² of office space for
prospective tenants. The PERI
www.civilsonline.co.za