Colleges need to get their new buildings up and running quickly. Meeting the extremely tight construction schedule of an 82,000-square-foot medical building for an expansion to Pikeville College meant running two working crews and two cranes, six days per week. But deadlines were additionally stressed by the difficulty constructing on that particular site, and it was essential to find a method to stay on schedule.
The challenge
The project cut into the side of a mountain of rock that had to be excavated and pile drilled, which consumed an immense amount of the construction schedule. To get back on track, a quick system was needed to form three elevator cores and five levels of foundation work. Distinctive features on the project include retaining walls around the entire exterior of foundation between 30-54 feet, as well as three cell cores at 187 feet.
The site has very little staging area and access to handle the formwork and the steel for the project. For concrete contractor Rising Sun Developing, Inc., streamlining the forming process on their cores, while staying on schedule, was the biggest challenge. A fast and reliable system to use on their cores and walls was required.
The solution
The solution came in the form of the crane-lifted climbing formwork MF-240 and shaft platforms, as well as framed wall formwork Frami for three cores. The system offered fast and easy assembly with minimum crane time. One of the main advantages was the quick and easy adaptability to the changing pour heights. Additionally, the lightweight Frami system allowed Doka to stay under the max capacity of the crane as well as reduced the number of crane picks. The fast stripping of the cores, achieved by using the Framax stripping corner which can be integrated with all Doka wall systems, also gave the project a schedule boost.
The project team noted that the usability and speed of the formwork solution was evident as the large three cell core was completed in just six days.
"I like your MF-240 platform and shaft system. It felt safer than any other system that I have used. This was my first time using your system and we finished on schedule, even with very bad weather. Also, the drawings we received from your engineer were the most complete and accurate drawings I have ever received," stated Tim Newsome, Rising Sun Developing, Superintendent.
The formwork can be stripped, cleaned and reused in place. The forms roll back 2 feet, 6 inches with the use of a ratcheted mechanism. The crane only moves it to the next floor.
"Once we got started, the formwork never had to hit the ground again until the core was topped out. This system offered advantages over other systems we could have used and they were noticeable on the job," said David Robinette, Construction Manager, Codell Construction Company.
To meet tight deadlines, limited crane capacity and limited staging room, Doka's Frami framed formwork, used with the MF-240 climbing system, was chosen to form three concrete elevator cores. Rising Sun Contractors completed three elevators cores with ultimate speed and precision. "We were able to turn a large three cell core in six days, pour to pour, and this was our first time using the Doka system," Jack Hammon, Superintendent, Rising Sun Developing Inc.
Formwork and climbing scaffold are connected to each other so the entire unit could be raised in a single crane lift, reducing crane time to an absolute minimum.
Project Summary
Jobsite: Pikeville College Osteopathic Medical Building
Location: Pikeville, Kentucky
Square footage: 82,000 square feet
General contractor: Codell Construction Company
Concrete Contractor: Rising Sun Developing, Inc.
Start date/scheduled end date of work: October 2010/March 2012
Products Used: Framed Formwork Frami, MF-240 climbing
