Selection of Best in Class Construction Technology

When you read about our construction technology and building materials, you will find it hard to believe we are making budget homes! Our objective is to provide housing that meets high quality standards at a low cost with delivery at record speed. This has been made possible through the application of contemporary building technology and the adoption of ingenious industrial engineering processes. We commissioned a detailed research to evaluate various Form Systems, their comparison with traditional bricks-and-mortar building methods and then chose the optimum solution in the Indian context. In addition, it was important that the construction technology partner we selected would be the 'best-of-breed', with a proven track record on a global basis.

Engineered Metal Forming Systems for Concreting

Forms are made from pre-fabricated modules with a metal frame, such as aluminum or steel. A series of forms are joined together edge-to-edge and spaced in parallel with a second series of forms. As per the structural design, steel reinforcement is placed inside the form. Wet concrete is poured in this space to make walls, floors and ceilings. After the concrete within the formwork strengthens, the formwork can be dismantled. On removal of the formwork, a high-quality concrete finish is produced to accurate tolerances and verticality. The superior (machined) tolerance of the finish means that no further plastering (external or internal) is required. Further, buildings using metal forms provide a higher level of strength, durability and seismic tolerance compared to traditional brick and mortar construction. In India, metal forming systems are being used only for very expensive apartments. Vaibhava is the first instance where metal forming systems are being used for a budget housing project. After reviewing different forming technologies, we decided to opt for aluminium forming. Aluminium forming has many advantages: High speed of construction, high strength (concrete pressures of 60-85 kN/sq. metre), quality of finish and durability. Weights of standard forms are a little over 30 kgs, allowing for ease of handling. Wastage of material with aluminium forming is low. With about 8 per cent of the earth's crust consisting of aluminium, it is one of the few metals in which the availability of raw materials is literally unlimited. What's more, aluminium can be recycled repeatedly for the same uses without losing its unique properties. Besides, recycling requires only 5% of the original energy input (and CO2 emission).

Our partner for construction technology: Western Form Inc, based out of Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Western Forms invented the first aluminium forms for residential and commercial concrete structures, concrete foundations and cast-in-place concrete walls. The company has over 50 years of experience in constructing buildings using aluminium forms. Western Forms are extensively used in mass housing projects, particularly in the Americas. Western Forms manufactures concrete forms that incorporate over 20 patented features and processes, producing extremely flat, smooth concrete walls. Western has been, by far, the leading edge concrete form manufacturer, producing the strongest rated wall ties (for concrete forming), which are used in conjunction with its exclusive time saving "Pin Lock" attached hardware and proprietary gasket side rail. Monolithic construction enabled by Western Forms is superior in resisting seismic forces, as compared to traditional load bearing and framed structures.

Extending innovation to other aspects of construction

Innovation helps us to ensure better quality, speedy time frame and cost savings. In addition to the use of Western Forms, we have introduced welded mesh for reinforcement, RMC concrete pre-validation kit for plumbing, electrical and other embedded works. We are also implementing BIM (Building Information Modelling). The design is rendered in 3-D modelling and aids in the planning process by detecting any clash between architectural, electrical, plumbing and structural design, in the pre-construction stage. After reviewing multiple simulations, the optimal model is selected. Constantly finding better ways to do things helps us to add value to the end product, which in turn, leads to happy customers!