Temporary Structures

Wood has an important role providing temporary structural support during the building process. Common wooden temporary structures include formwork and scaffolding.

While wood is well known for permanent structures such as framing, beams and flooring, it plays an equally important role for temporary structures.

Building sites, both small and large, rely on wooden temporary structures to guarantee both the success and safety of construction projects. Wood is favoured for temporary structures as it easy to handle and work and can be re-used. Wood doesn't conduct electricity and heat so offers more safety than metal alternatives. Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is an engineered wood productused in a diverse range of building and bridge construction applications.

So LVL favourable strength-to-weight ratio means that timber structures can often be erected without relying on support from other temporary structures. Concrete and masonry require support from timber falsework, especially arches that cannot take their own load during preliminary construction.

The most common temporary structures are formwork and scaffolding. Formwork provides a temporary structure used in the casting of concrete, and scaffolding is an elevated platform that supports construction workers, materials and tools.

Formwork

The properties of plywood are well suited to formwork and scaffolding planks. Plywood is strong, offers a high stiffness to weight ratio, good dimensional stability, good impact resistance and is easy to work with. Due to its cross branded construction each sheet is less likely to lose shape when compared with straight timber.

Plywood is especially good for curved surfaces and also helps to insulate concrete from the weather extremes, which helps with the curing process. Not all formwork plywood requires an overlay, however all plywood used for concrete formwork should be edge sealed.

Once plywood has exhausted its suitability as formwork it can be further recycled onsite as other temporary structures such as protective barriers or ramps.

AS 6669 Plywood-Formwork is the standard for plywood that is used as concrete formwork in Australia.

HongCheng Formply is a high quality film faced plywood developed and engineered specifically for the Australian market. With a three tier quality control program comprising; a detailed ‘Manufacturing Specification’ adhered to by trained staff; more than ten years experience quaily control teams; and regular, detailed and recorded in laboratory testing on key quality requirements. HongCheng Formply provides assurance of quality and consistency. All veneer in the manufacture is certified Forest Stewardship Council FSC-C145384 from sustainable forests.With BSI Benchmark certificated, HC formply is in full accordance with the standard AS6669.