Fair-faced climbing

Dragages Singapore

MEVA’s MAC climbing system was the only way to achieve a high-quality architectural finish on this tower’s concrete core.

The Goal

To ensure a fair-faced finish on exposed surfaces
As the concrete core of the condominium would be exposed in places, the architects stipulated an architectural concrete finish for the core walls.

The Project

Summary:
With its unique anchoring system, the MEVA MAC climbing system was able to achieve a superior surface finish.

Challenge:
The Museum’s curved shape presented an enormous challenge for the contractors due to the varying geometry both above and below ground.

The Solution

Innovative anchoring system
All external climbing systems must be anchored to the concrete core in some way to ensure their stability and safe operation. Most climbing systems achieve this by anchoring the system to the concrete core as it is built, which leaves pockets or openings in the concrete that must be filled afterwards. However, these filled pockets are still visible afterwards.

For most projects, having noticeable marks in the concrete core is not an issue, as the core is generally hidden by building elements, cladding, or other internal finishes. However, the exposed parts of this building’s core meant this was not an option.

MEVA’s MAC system does not use anchors on the external face of the core walls, but rather uses pockets on the internal face to anchor to. This enabled the system to achieve the desired architectural (fair-faced) finish on this concrete core, while still providing all the benefits of a climbing formwork system.

The Outcome

The project was a success, with the concrete core having a superior surface finish compared to what could have been achieved with other climbing formwork systems.