Introduction of Innovative Construction system

Innovative Construction systems are the factors determining the success of a

construction project in terms of speed, quality, cost and safety of works.
Nowadays, most projects are required by the client to complete in the shortest
time possible as a means to minimize costs. For high-rise buildings, the most
effective way to speed up works is to achieve a very short floor cycle to have
the structure of a typical floor completed in the shortest time. Modern methods
of construction assist engineers to determine the appropriate systems at the
inception of future projects. However most of modern methods are on basis on
pre-engineered construction and industrialized building technology. Hence, the
literature on Innovative construction systems is pre-engineered technologies that
substantially utilize offsite construction and support potentially more challenging
onsite construction.

1.1 Modular Formwork system

A formwork system is defined as the total system of support for freshly placed
concrete including the mould or sheathing which contacts the concrete as well as
supporting members, hardware and necessary bracing.
An approx. data on formwork derived from the cement consumption in India
reveals that in India, formwork executed is around 750 million Sqm., out of which
formwork executed using system or engineered formwork hardly constitutes
around 10%. It is a known fact that formwork constitutes around 6%-8% of the
cost of concrete and 60% of the time of the structure. Modular formwork and
scaffolding must be utilized so that the goals of speed of construction, safety,
economy, and quality are met.
Formwork is significantly important activity for concreting. Good quality of
formwork can contribute a good quality of concrete. It not only holds the
concrete during its wet stage but has many other important functions in this
activity of concreting. Bad formwork has often yielded failures of minor as well as
major magnitude. It is also fairly popular as shuttering. Its functional as well as
financial share in the entire concreting activity cant be ignored.
Good formwork should satisfy the following requirements:
1. It should be strong enough to withstand all types of dead and live loads.
2. It should be rigidly constructed and efficiently propped and braced both
horizontally and vertically, so as to retain its shape.
3. The joints in the formwork should be water-tight against leakage of cement
grout.
4. Erection of formwork should permit removal of various parts in desired
sequences without damage to the concrete.
5. The material of the formwork should be cheap, easily available and should be
suitable for reuse.
6. The formwork should be set accurately to the desired line and levels. It should
have plane surface.

7. It should be as light as possible.

8. The material of the formwork should not warp or get distorted when exposed
to the elements.
9. It should rest on firm base.

1.2. Precast systems

1.2.1 Concept of precast construction in high rise building
The Pre-cast construction includes those buildings where the majority of
structural components are standardized and produced in plants in a location
away from the building, and then transported to the site for assembly .These
components are manufactured by industrial methods based on mass production
in order to build a large number of buildings in a short time at low cost.
This type of construction requires a restructuring of the entire conventional
construction process to enable interaction between the design phase and
production planning in order to improve and speed up the construction. One of
the key premises for achieving that objective is to design buildings with a regular
configuration in plan and elevation.
Urban residential buildings of this type are usually five to ten stories high. Many
countries used various precast building systems during the second half of the
20th century to provide low-income housing for the growing urban population. In
general, precast building systems are more economical when compared to
conventional multi-dwelling residential buildings in many countries.
1.2.2 Comparison between Conventional cast-is-situ and Precast at
plant
Since 1950s, agencies have used Precast Concrete (PC) products to meet the
challenges they faced such as long construction duration and poor quality. In
fact, the first large-scale use of precast panels as cladding was at Denver Hilton
(Denver, Colorado, USA) project and upon successful completion, architects
started to use PC elements in important building projects. PC components are
produced in a controlled environment in precast manufacturing companies or in
the temporary precast plants which are set up near the construction sites. This
provides the opportunity for PC to be properly cured and monitored by plant
labour. On comparison, general features of cast-in-situ and precast are as:
Cast-in-situ

no transportation
the size limitation is depending on the elevation capacity only
lower quality because directly affected by weather
proper, large free space required

Precast at plant

transportation and elevation capacity limits the sizehigher, industrialized quality less affected by weather
no space requirement on the site for fabrication
unlimited opportunities of architectural appearance
option of standardized components

Some of the general advantages of precast projects when compared to

traditional cast-in-situ can be summarized as:

Higher quality products due to close monitoring of the manufacturing

phase.
Cost savings in terms of mould per unit of production or mass produced.
Enhanced safety.
Concurrent work of PC manufacturing and foundation works.
Faster erection of building structure.
Adverse impact of weather can be mitigated during PC manufacturing.
Varied and high quality surface textures can be produced by specific
surface treatments at the production plants.
Environmental benefits such as reducing wastage of materials and
minimizing site debris and dust.
Achieving sustainability.

Figure 1: Precast technology benefits over Cast in-situ