Formwork design for high elevated slab construction

Formwork commonly constitutes about 40-60% of the overall costs of constructing concrete elements. With high elevated concrete elements, the vertical shoring for the high soffits may raise the share of formwork cost even higher, making it imperative that the formwork design be more rigorously addressed. This paper presents a method for the design of high elevated slab formwork in which shoring towers are the central element. The method defines the primary stages of the design process, determines the detailed procedure within each stage, and identifies the basic data needed for exercising the design. The proposed method is aimed at producing design solutions that meet both quality and economy criteria. The paper also identifies open issues in formwork design and practice, and consequently suggests areas for further research.