Engineered formwork timber finishes well
In late January 1999, work began on the new Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Perth. Designed by Parry and Rosenthal Architects, the building has five levels, four suspended decks and two suspended decks for a rear car park. Formworker, Fred Davis of Bregma Pty Ltd specified Ecoply Formrite and truFORM LVL formwork beams to achieve the building's finish.
'Because the products are machine made, it's perfectly true and flat and gives a nice even finish,' says Davis, '... the job demanded good quality LVL and plywood. According to Davis, truFORM '... was excellent for a car park deck where what you see is what you get'.
To those as experienced in the trade as Davis and Bregma, the advantages of the engineered formwork products were immediately obvious when introduced by Carter Holt Harvey four years ago. The old method of formwork, using Oregon timber, had numerous pitfalls. Beams had a limited lifespan, could twist, bend out of shape and many had knots and flaws. Davis points out that Bregma was first to use the new formwork, but it was quickly taken on and everyone uses it now.
'It's not just for office buildings,' adds Davis. truFORM was also used in combination with steel in another Bregma project- Sun Metals Zinc Project last year in Townsville.
Davis is also currently using Formrite and truFORM in the construction of the Roe Highway extension, with its three bridges and a 300-metre tunnel. Engineered wood products for formwork perform well for all the different aspects of the job. 'It's a very versatile product,' says Davis.
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