utrecht RIVM/CBG | Four reinforced concrete cores for striking tower building realized using sliding formwork

From the beginning of March to the end of May 2019, the four reinforced concrete cores of the striking tower building of the RIVM and CBG were created. Construction company MEET Strukton commissioned Austrian specialist Gleitbau Ges.m.b.H to carry out the works. The cores were realized using the Salzburg-based company's sliding formwork. For eight weeks, work was carried out 24/7. Since the specialists from Gleitbau were involved in the project very early on, their experience allowed them to make the necessary adjustments for the perfect realization of the concrete cores.

Gleitbau (Salzburg), active worldwide as a specialist in sliding formwork, produces reinforced concrete elements such as silos, cores for apartment buildings, towers, chimneys and solutions for industrial buildings, but also has a great deal of experience in prestressed concrete and the realization of elements for high-load applications. "Commissioned by construction company MEET Strukton, we fully realized the reinforced concrete cores for the tower building of the RIVM and CBG. In addition to the assembly and operation of the sliding formwork, all materials for this site (concrete, reinforcement, elements, etc.) were processed and integrated," says project manager Nikolaus Weise-Schmidbauer. "Due to the conditions on this construction site, a concrete spreader had to be pushed up with the formwork in order to integrate the necessary concrete during the formwork without using a crane. In addition, special concrete consoles were cast to act as supports for the precast concrete elements. This allowed a lot of time to be saved during the further construction process. Finally, all aids, which were not later allowed to remain in the construction, were again removed during the shuttering process."

The concrete cores were realized using a sliding formwork from the company Gleitbau.

Realized using the sliding formwork from Gleitbau

These reinforced concrete cores build the supporting structure of the tower and include the stairwells, elevator shafts and technical rooms. Two cores were integrated on the east side of the tower, making one large core, while two smaller cores were built on the west side. These reinforced concrete cores were realized using Gleitbau's sliding formwork. After the sliding formwork was erected, the company started sliding the first two cores in mid-March. From the end of April to the middle of May, the two smaller cores were then built, after which the sliding formwork was dismantled. The close cooperation, even before the start of the project, was very important for the successful completion of the work. By involving the Gleitbau engineers already during the planning phase, a lot of time could be saved later on and various problems could be avoided, which could have caused more severe problems during the construction process.

"Every project is unique and has to be custom worked out by our engineers. The size of the project, the complexity of the formwork, the project itself and the very large number of materials made this installation special. The good cooperation and communication of our people with those of the client on the construction site ensured that the realization of the reinforced concrete cores could be done without any significant problems and perfectly within the proposed deadline. This also allowed us to meet the client's high quality requirements," the project manager points out. "We are a subcontractor for formwork work, but also look with the client at how the design can be adapted to the requirements of the sliding formwork. Other reference projects in the Netherlands are the Mondriaantoren (Amsterdam), Avi Triade Twence (Hengelo) and the gas station on the Maasvlakte in the port area of Rotterdam."