Perfectly combined systems: safety and quality during the entire construction

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Press release set

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CaixaForum, Zaragoza, Spain

Ideally combined systems form the basis for efficient and cost-effective construction work. This is especially true if the building architecture is extremely complex, and the safety and quality standards to be met are also very demanding. With this very much in mind, PERI engineers tailored their formwork and scaffolding solution to precisely match the project requirements for the construction of the sculpture-like "CaixaForum".

Following in the footsteps of Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona, Zaragoza now has its own "CaixaForum" – a modern cultural, social and civic centre initiated and supported by the Spanish bank "La Caixa". From the end of 2013 onwards, the complex will serve as a central cultural meeting place offering a wide range of cultural exhibitions, concerts and educational workshops.

The architecture featuring a spectacular building structure resembling the form of a sculpture is unique, and is located on the site of the city´s former railway station. The four-storey building extends majestically upwards – supported by angularly arranged, up to 37 m high shear walls. Some of the walls in the bottom third of the structure are obliquely constructed with 50-degree angles resulting in upper floor cantilevers of up to 15 m above the ground.

Shear walls with inclined sections

The reinforced concrete walls are being constructed using 4.80 m concreting cycle heights. TRIO panel formwork has been selected as the wall formwork – mounted in the lower sections on PERI UP working scaffold. In addition, the TRIO is connected to CB 240 brackets to form climbing formwork units whereby large-sized sections can be moved with the crane. The loads arising from the cantilevered reversed-angled shear walls are transferred via a raised formwork construction comprised of VARIO and VARIOKIT system components into the ground. For the two subsequent almost 15-metre high concreting sections, PERI UP shoring is installed both underneath and to the rear. With the help of 25, 50 and 75-cm ledgers, the legs are bundled together so that optimal load adjustment can be achieved.

System combination for the slab

The auditorium reaches a height of up to 7.70 m whilst the thickness of the concrete slab is 60 cm. As slab formwork, the lightweight aluminium SKYDECK system is used. Due to the large slab thickness, prop spacing was reduced from 2.25 m to 1.50 m with a 150-cm main beam carrying the loads of two panel into the shoring. Any adjustments required in the edge areas can easily be realized with the flexible MULTIFLEX girder slab formwork.

With PERI, formwork and scaffolding systems are perfectly matched to each other and can be ideally combined: PERI UP Rosett with grid dimensions of 150 cm x 150 cm is extensively used as a stable, spatial shoring construction. On the one hand, the modular structure and metric grid design allow height adjustments to be made to accommodate the inclined and stepped assembly areas. On the other, the birdcage scaffolding with its 50-cm long ledgers can be tailored both in length and width. For all formworking and scaffolding work, system steel decks serve as safe assembly and working levels.

Contractor
UTE Forum Zaragoza;
Dragados, S.A., Madrid and Arascón Vias y Obras

Field Service
PERI S.A. España, Algete/Madrid