From pillars adorning the Parthenon in Greece to antebellum architectural structures in the Deep South of North America, palatial buildings and stately homes have been a part of history and the pillar designs have been carried through to modern construction. What used to take weeks, even months, to create can now be done in a day through column formwork, enabling builders to recreate the look of a bygone era.

Keeping the Balance

Modular in nature, they allow for quick assembly and erection on site. To get the desired result, wet concrete is poured into a circular or box-shaped mould to achieve the shape and size needed for construction. Depending on the size of the project, the moulds used are typically made from steel, aluminium, timber, and plastic.

Providing Structural Support

One of the key benefits of column formwork is that they are designed for specific concrete pressures. Not only does column formwork provide an aesthetically pleasing look on the exterior of a building, but it also provides much-needed support for beam formwork, allowing for quick and precise construction.

As it is considered as a structural element, together with beam work, they play a key role in creating a safe load path to transfer the weight and forces on a structure to the foundations and into the ground. Concrete placement rates have to be adjusted to keep the concrete pressure within specified limits. The assembled framework has to be restrained at the base properly to avoid any displacement and grout loss. 

Providing a Picture-Perfect Frame

As architecturally eye-catching as they are, columns need to be strategically placed. Column formwork is generally placed at or near the corners of a building and at the intersection of beams and walls. When not being an additional support structure for buildings, it is also used in bridge construction, power plant construction, infrastructure, and sewage treatment plant construction, to name but a few. Most construction projects that require the creation of vertical concrete columns benefit from this type of formwork thanks to its ability to create clean, precise, and strong concrete pillars.

If you are looking for column formwork that is quick and easy to assemble, thereby reducing labour as well as equipment costs, then contact the leaders in the manufacture of scaffolding and formwork, Disc-O-Scaff. Using only SABS-approved materials, our economy form panels can be used to construct columns, concrete walls, bridges, and your own recreation of Twelve Oaks. Contact us today.