Concrete Structure Design

Moving your concrete structure from design to construction means that you should conduct a pre-construction virtual constructability review. Doing so can help you assess which construction methods can yield you competitive advantages on the cost, time and quality constraints.

Such situations that need your technical and financial evaluation revolve around construction site logistics, method statements and intrinsic material specifications where our experienced civil engineers explain them in clear details below:

• Site Logistics

When you employ concrete structure design for your building project, you can choose any of the three logistical methods: ready-mix trucks, concrete batch plants or on-site mixing. Ready mix-trucks often set standardized cement mixtures imposing efficient results as one of its pros, but cons include logistical challenges on projects with cost, quality and time-sensitive constraints especially if you have a remote site location.

Concrete batch plants operate from the same function as ready-mix trucks, but without the worry of logistical measures such as mixing, transport, delivery and handling—rendering them suitable for your mid-scale to large-scale complex construction projects where value-engineering is a priority item. On the other hand, small-scale residential and commercial projects can utilize on-site mixing using concrete mixers to redirect costs from logistics to labor. However, quality control comes at a cost in the form of unreliable measurement, inaccurate cement-water ratio and insufficient concrete moisture levels.

• Method Statements

You have two options when it comes to your concrete structure design: choose the traditional route of cast-in-place or go modern with prefabrication. Cast-in-place concrete can be cheaper in construction costs, but this method can eat up much of your fast-track project timeline as opposed to the efficient prefabrication, although this methodology comes at a higher price inversely.

• Material Specifications

Utilizing concrete structure design for your building project means you need to take reference from the international and local building codes for structural compliance, as each building occupancy has its own specific material specifications on the cement mixtures. Take for instance, structural dams which are in need of more intensive structural capacity garner higher concentration on cement mixtures as opposed to the medium-scale concrete requirements of residential structures down to the lax concrete plant boxes.

How Formworks Play a Critical Role in Cast-in-Place Concrete Structure Design

Without formworks, your cast-in-place concrete structure design will never be materialized. In a layperson's eyes, formworks only serve as an afterthought, but for experienced civil engineers such as in our case, we know how crucial formworks are for the success of your building's structural aspects.

To start with, formwork materials can range from timber, steel and plastic—where the last two items fare better than the first if we are considering economy and quality. Timber formworks can only be repeated to so much extent as they are prone to bulging and warping, and these labor-intensive formworks require prior oil installation before mix pouring for non-adhesion of the concrete during stripping.

Steel is also economical in use with repeatability factor in place, but is prone to corrosion. Plastic offers you the best value for your money, as its lightweight feature can account for structural load capacity, smooth surface finish, easier installation and stripping, water and rust resistance, recyclability and non-deformation.

Below is an exhaustive list of the in-depth technical factors that you need to consider when specifying formworks for your concrete structure design:

• Take scaffolding, ledger beams and shoring into account when choosing the best formwork material for your concrete structure design
• Load factors for formworks consist of vertical, lateral, horizontal and special loads
• Lateral tie bracing and supports should be intact to avoid formwork bulging, leakage on joints and honeycomb voids
• Rebar splicing and construction joints should be incorporated on the formwork design
• Formwork can be built-in into the Revit software to factor in the additional loads aside from the concrete flow rate and pressure coefficient themselves
• Modular dimensions of formwork design should be in place for decreased material wastage and repeatability on-site and future projects
• Formwork should be plumb and level for quality concrete results
• Quality formwork delivers efficient results from assembly, erection, placement of steel reinforcement, concrete pouring, curing, and stripping

The underlying difference between traditional and modern concrete structure design is innovative digital facilitation, where BIM plays a critical role in streamlining the process from design studio, to fabrication, and construction.

Our civil engineers go beyond the traditional build of cast-in-place concrete, to more advanced and cutting-edge concrete structure design solutions, such as:

• Precast flat panel system
• 3D modular or volumetric construction
• Flat slab construction
• Glass-fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC)
• Pre-stressed concrete panels
• Parametric concrete shells

At New York Engineers, there's no such thing as impossible, especially when we combine our structural concrete expertise with technology.

Experience an Innovative Take on Concrete Structure Design with Us

Through industry disruption, concrete structure designs have come a long way in the aesthetic, functional and structural scale. From cubic-shaped structures to parametric concrete shells, innovation transforms impossible to possible.

Comb through our concrete-specific portfolio and learn how New York Engineers can reinvent your concrete structure design through our civil engineering expertise and advanced technology.