Bringing Productivity to Concrete Formwork Construction

Pushing the Limits to Bring a Better Tomorrow

America has always been a country built on innovation – constantly striving to conquer new frontiers and see what the next best thing will be. As a company, EFCO prides itself on our innovative practices that bring versatility and productivity to our customers. We are proud to be a part of projects that push the limits on how we can bring about a better tomorrow.

Building Partnerships in Formwork Construction

McCarthy Construction partners with EFCO

Partnering with McCarthy Construction, EFCO is helping to build a new 609,000 square-foot research facility where the research focus will be on the vast frontier of the brain and the nervous system. All part of Washington University’s dedication to understanding brain development, nerve cell communication and Alzheimer’s, the new facility will bring 875 researchers with backgrounds in neurology, neuroscience, neurosurgery, psychiatry and anesthesiology. Touted as the fourth-best medical facility in the United States, Washington University plans to grow its research base by 30% in the next decade.

Concrete Formwork Systems used on Construction Site

As design and construction requirements become more complex, McCarthy has taken the lead in the construction of the state-of-the-art Neuroscience research building and teaching hub with elevated walkways connecting to the University along with a new utility plant and event space. These enhancements expand the university’s academic programs while creating opportunities for collaborative interactions.

Building Formwork Construction Plans

Planning for Quality

Planning for quality starts early during the design phase, then continues throughout construction and well past completion. With five years of planning behind it, the project broke ground in spring 2020.

McCarthy Building Co. Inc. was offered the contract for the $440 million, 11-story, 609,000 square-foot Neuroscience Research Building. Established in 1864, McCarthy prides itself on being one of the largest and most diversified commercial construction companies in America.

Construction Methods

Elevated Concrete Slabs

Becoming the best builder means using superior construction methods and building relationships with everyone that touches the project, the crew, suppliers, steelworkers, the owners and the team behind the formwork solution. McCarthy Building is putting EFCO to work with formwork for the columns and elevated slab construction.

Cast-In-Place Formwork

Round Columns and Steel Girders

EFCO’s Round Column® and PLATE GIRDER® systems are successfully being used for the cast-in-place columns. Unique to the industry, each column form setup can be cycled fully assembled or separated into halves depending on the capacity of the jobsite crane. Made of rigid, durable steel, each system uses a minimal number of fasteners, and the all-steel face provides a smooth blemish-free concrete finish.

Shoring Construction

E-Z DECK and EFCO DECK Shoring Equipment

EFCO’s E-Z DECK® and EFCO DECK® shoring equipment are superb solutions for elevated deck construction. E-Z DECK can be used to shore decking operations at any given height while EFCO DECK performs its best at floor-to-ceiling heights of 7’ to 15’. Used in combination with each other, the McCarthy crew took advantage of the E-Z DECK high shore towers with the ease of quick cycling cantilever solutions on this project.

Parking Garage Construction

1,860 Spaces

Also, included in the expansion at the University of Washington Campus is a new 1,860- space parking garage being constructed by Tarlton Corporation. Tarlton is a St. Louis construction icon and has helped build the city into what it is now. The company began in 1946 when Washington University alum and Tarlton founder Arthur Elsperman got started in construction. Involved with various construction projects at Washington University since 1959, Tarlton is now constructing the new 1,860-space parking garage 4’ from the new research building.

Transfer Girders Used in Construction of Parking Garage

The new cast-in-place parking garage is 12 levels. Much like most typical garages, the first level is the tallest containing towers up to 23’ tall. Unlike most typical parking garages, this one contains numerous transfer girders up to 9’ deep.

Cast-In-Place Formwork Solutions

As Tarlton constructs the typical levels of the cast-in-place parking garage, they will use 39 beams of the Cunningham Parking Garage system® on the jobsite. This robust beam and slab system can be pre-assembled and moved into position with a forklift.

Simple, hinged shoring on the Cunningham Parking Garage System is all-inclusive and can fold up for travel. No disassembly is needed. Cast-in-place concrete provides a smooth and continuous surface with minimal joints, providing a quality surface for driving in parking garages.

Upturn Beam Used in Pouring Concrete Slab

Eliminating Future Maintenance of Construction Joints

EFCO’s E-Z DECK® shoring system is being used for the mid-shore spans and reshore. The EFCO HAND-E-FORM® system has proven to be a good solution for upturned beams. By using the HAND-E-FORM system to form the upturn beams, Tarlton can pour these upturn beams/walls with the concrete slab pours. This eliminates a construction joint that would have had to be maintained for years to come between the beam/wall and the slab.

Round Column & Square Column Formwork

Tarlton has used PLATE GIRDER® and EFCO LITE® column forms to form the numerous column configurations for the first two levels of the ramp.

Elevator Core Formwork Construction with Safe Work Platform

The construction of the elevator core was just recently started as Tarlton is forming level one of the ramp. EFCO LITE® formwork system is being used for the core walls.

The Guided Rail System® (GRS) is being used for work platforms to climb the core up to level 12 of the ramps. The GRS rail system will enable the elevator core to be poured out ahead of the ramp and provide a safe work platform for the workers. The interior of the core utilizes EFCO’s flipper lock deck as a work platform.

EFCO Formwork for Bridge Columns and Bridge Caps | SUPER PLATE GIRDER