With better, faster and safer formwork available, designing for the formwork is a crucial component to ensuring the success of an economical concrete construction project.

A concrete contractor recently had a close-out meeting with the Owner and Construction Manager, and was be surprised by the demand for a reduction in payment based on form leakage.

The idea began when doctoral student Lotte Scheder-Bieschin developed Unfold Form, a foldable, reusable formwork system that makes laying concrete much easier.

That's where Unfold Form comes in. Scheder-Bieschin's formwork utilizes strips of plywood and textile hinges to shape and mold concrete vaulted floors.

A 3D steel-mesh structure created this way serves as both formwork and reinforcement and is filled by a specific concrete mix without using conventional formwork. MESH Technology can be used for ...

This was facilitated through the use of a novel formwork system consisting of a net of steel cables and a polymer fabric stretched into a reusable scaffolding structure.