Safe and comfortable working

Contractor: Primary Structures Corporation Ltd., Philippines

In the bustling heart of the up-and-coming Philippine metropolis of Cebu City, the shell of a 20F mixed-use commercial building has been completed on time.

High-rise building completed on time with MAC climbing formwork

In the bustling heart of the up-and-coming Philippine metropolis of Cebu City, the shell of a 20F mixed-use commercial building has been completed on time.

The overall height of the building, with seven basement floors and 20 floors of different heights, was less of a challenge for the construction company Primary Structures Corporation. The difficult logistics on the narrow construction site, which is located directly on a pulsating roundabout on a main traffic artery, as well as the construction of the storeys, each with different floor areas, was a challenge and required a flexible climbing formwork solution.

While the lower floors with higher ceilings cantilever towards the roundabout, the 20F mixed-used commercial building tapers above the 4th floor up to the roof terrace at the top. The floor areas vary from 1,350 m² (below) to 1,000 m² on the 20th floor. The construction team relied on a tried-and-tested climbing combination to achieve flexibility, safety and comfortable working conditions. The crane-indepent and hydraulic climbing system MAC (MEVA Automatic Climbing) and the lightweight, universal AluFix hand-set formwork allowed the cores of the stairwell and elevators to rise quickly and safely, floor by floor. For the first time in the Philippines, MEVA used the MAC system in a variant that could be connected to the projecting wall of the lower floors and thus set up as a self-climbing single unit.

MEVA Automatic Climbing has proven itself in many well-known high-rise projects around the world, including several projects in the Philippine banking metropolis of Makati. The versatile system with a fully covered and enclosed unit also provided the workers in Cebu City with constant protection from all weather conditions and a safe, spacious working environment. Rising and often stormy wind speeds did not affect the work at all.

As the completely covered and enclosed MAC platform offers a comfortable working area and sufficient storage spaces for materials as well as allowing concrete booms to be integrated, the work was carried out quickly and safely. Wall and slab work could be performed independently, increasing productivity and ensuring rapid construction. This was a decisive factor in completing the building on time.

Instructions and on-site training
After one million man-hours safely completed, the shell was handed over on time. Thorough instructions on material preparation and pre-assembly as well as on-site training by MEVA Philippines’ product specialists in Quezon City also contributed to the success of this project.