Building Information Modeling enabled Cascading Formwork Management Tool

Formwork systems are accountable for a significant share of the cost of reinforced concrete structures. The application of constructability principles to the design, selection and management of formwork systems in the preconstruction phase can significantly reduce the cost of reinforced concrete construction projects. Although many studies have developed tools and methodologies to automate the design and selection of formwork systems, few studies have explored the benefits of improving the process of managing formwork. The focus of this paper is on the use of BIM along with a cascading tool to maximize the return on formwork investment and improve the management of formwork. This paper presents an approach to utilize data drawn from the building information models coupled with a cascading algorithm to efficiently manage the formwork inventory on a construction project by generating a scheduled formwork reuse plan and calculating the minimum quantity of formwork required for the project. The paper discusses the use of BIM to extract data required for the cascading tool, working of the cascading algorithm and the development of the tool. The paper ends by presenting a case study where the developed tool was applied on a construction project in Cincinnati, Ohio and 13% savings in formwork material cost was reported.