Investigating the use of fabric formwork

Abstract

Fabric formwork is a little known technique used to produce fluid concrete geometries. Innovators in this field describe it as a cheap and simple methodology requiring no skilled labour; ideal for construction projects in underdeveloped areas. This dissertation introduces the technology and explores the use of fabric formwork, examining various case studies from actual construction projects. Has fabric formwork truly "democratized" the casting process of complex concrete geometries such as trusses, and is this technology really as available as is often claimed? To investigate this, four different fabric formwork setups were built using only basic tools and no skilled labourers. By examining the difficulties experienced in each setup, and also their solutions, the nuances of using such a forming technique became clearer giving a more thorough understanding of how the fabric reacts to concrete pressure. The success rate of the demoulded samples was high. Although two of the formwork setups did not produce the desired result, the reasons for this were clearly understood in both cases. This exploration process proves that fabric formwork really can be utilised by inexperienced people who have not been trained in such an area, since the complexities of some of the geometries that were perfectly formed would have been extremely difficult to achieve using any other formwork method. A possible extension of this study could be to compare the construction processes of two identical structures, one made with fabric formwork, the other with rigid formwork, to get a clearer idea of the differences in using either methodology.