CASE STUDY OVERVIEW
Breaking Ground for both Companies
Esque Apartments – South Yarra
, Acrow Group
Quintessentially Melbourne the Esque Apartments development is the latest of a number of major residential high rise projects to hit the trendy inner city suburb of South Yarra, located on the prestigious Chapel street Esque apartments offers a contemporary lifestyle of upmarket living on the doors of the famous Chapel street renown for its boutique shopping, bustling cafes and restaurants.

Commissioned by Mitraland Australia Esque apartments comprises 20 storeys of high rise living incorporating 66 apartments and shops plus 44 car spaces in the basement. Veleo Constructions in South Melbourne is the builder with the structures contract given to Markscon a privately owned and operated business by brothers John and Sam Marks. Markscon are a leading concrete structure contractor specialising in Domestic and Commercial works

Our approach is simple – to deliver what we promise and exceed all expectations.
A first for both Companies

In essence this is a first for Acrow and its signals one of our first projects certainly in Victoria since the acquisition of Natform in August 2018 where we have designed and engineered a dry hired a formwork solution for soffit and back propping support combined with a screens solution for edge and fall protection.

Construction Manager Joseph McCann (Markscon) who has worked on projects before with Acrow saw real value in the relationship with Acrow to deliver and supply an engineered solution to meet his requirements especially in the basement to level 4 which was complex and critical to the success of the project.

“We know Acrow, we have worked with them before and the relationship is good, its also important we get the service and the gear supplied at competitive prices, and it also helps that we are familiar with their formwork systems. The challenge for us on this job is that there is very little laydown area on site which means the coordination of deliveries to and from site is critical – that has been achieved with Acrow”

“The surprise also for us was how they went about on delivering their screen solution, we were in a bit of a bind having being let down by a previous supplier, but Acrow stepped right in with Natform offering a bespoke screen solution and turning the engineering and design around fully costed in 3 weeks. With the screen anchors cast into the slabs the installation couldn’t have gone better, there was sense of urgency with Marko Zaknic (Natform Project Engineer) on site to assist during the installation of the screens and revisiting to assist in the hydraulic jumping of the screens up 2 floors”

“I would definitely be happy to recommend and work with the Acrow and Natform combined on another project”

Key Features of the project.
  • 20 Floor High Rise Residential Apartments plus 4 Basements
  • 66 Apartments and shops
  • 44 Car spaces.
Esque Apartments – General information
  • Location: 649 Chapel Street South Yarra
  • Estimate Value: $20 million
  • Developer: Mitraland Australia
  • Builder:  Valeo Construction, Markson – Structure Contractor
ACROWS INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT
  • Supply of FW frames and Accessories.
  • Fully Engineered with drawings issued for construction.
  • Experienced Project management.
CRITICAL ELEMENTS
  • Supply of up to 12m high Super Cuplok support system for 1200mm deep Transfer slab
  • Design and supply combination of Acrow props and V-Shore frames for 2000mm deep suspended lift shaft slab
  • Acrow Aluminium GASS props for back propping slabs
  • Designs for suspended slabs formwork support
  • Coordinated deliveries of gear to restricted and limited access.
ACROW GEAR UTILISED ON SITE
  • Acrow Frames
  • Acrow Super Cuplock
  • Acrow Aluminium GASS Props.
NATFORM’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT
  • Bespoke Screens solution, purpose built to match the profile of the building.
  • Fully Engineered drawings including SWMS and engineering certifications.
  • Site inspections including liaising with the consulting engineers on the site.
  • Full onsite Project Engineer and supervision during the installation and jumping of the screens.
CRITICAL ELEMENTS
  • Identifying issues upfront such as adjoining structures, amenities clashing, installation and bracing of precast upturns as well as imposed loads of the screens upon the structures.
  • After initial erection it allowed Markscon to form and pour up to 3 levels above unhindered and without climbing the screen.
  • Screen in typical will service a total of 3 levels for a standard formwork cycle. All screens will terminate at Level 17 (Roof).
  • The onsite crane was used to install and will be used to dismantle the screens off the building, whilst the hydraulic units supplied will assist in climbing the screens from Level 4 to Level 17.
  • Coordinated deliveries of gear to restricted and limited access.
NATFORM GEAR UTILISED ON SITE
  • 14 bespoke Screens in total, 13 erected off Level 4 and 1 to be erected off Level 9.
  • Hydraulic packs to climb the screens without the use and reliance on the site crane.
Pushing the Boundaries – Harwood Bridge
Pacific Highway – Woolgoolga to Ballina – Harwood Bridge
, Acrow Group

The Harwood Bridge upgrade over the Clarence river is a project within a project and forms part of the larger AUD $4.36 billion Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade along the Eastern corridor connecting Sydney and Brisbane.

Jointly funded by the state and federal governments, the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade is one of the largest road infrastructure projects in NSW and once complete the upgrade will improve road safety, reduce travel times and increase transport efficiency along this section of the highway.

On the 29th April 2016  Acciona Ferrovial Joint Venture was announced as the preferred tenderer to design and build the proposed new bridge at Harwood over the Clarence River in New South Wales.  The new 1.5 kilometre bridge is being built 70 meters downstream of the existing bridge and is the longest of more than 100 bridges to be built as part of the 155 km Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade.

Key Features of the project.
  • Design and construction of a new 1.5 kilometre bridge over the Clarence River, about 30 metres downstream from the existing bridge. The length of the bridge over the Clarence River will span 620 metres, with a vertical clearance above the river of at least 30 metres for marine traffic to pass.
  • The new bridge will be a dual carriageway bridge, with two lanes in each direction including local road works at the northern and southern abutments.
HARWOOD BRIDGE – General information
  • Location: Harwood, NSW, Australia
  • Lead Contractor, ACCIONA Infrastructure part of the Acciona Ferrovial Joint Venture
  • Project value: Part of the overall AU$4.36 billion Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade
  • Estimated completion date: End 2019
, Acrow Group

When approached by the team at Pacifico (Acciona and Ferrovial JV) to assist with the critical element of forming up the columns and headstocks Acrow Formwork & Scaffolding was quick to respond coming up with an innovative fully engineered solution, that pushed the boundaries of conventional formwork.

“Harwood Bridge was a complex design and supply project that took Acrow out of its comfort zone and pushed the boundary into more complex temporary works to provide the client with an all in one solution they were after. Through many hours of design and coordination we were able to provide the client with a simple and efficient system that was overall safe to use with the majority of issues resolved though meticulous planning by all parties involved before work began”

Matthew Caporella National Manager – Engineering Operations MIEAust, B.Eng (Civil), B.Bus (Mgt)

ACROWS ENGAGEMENT AND ROLE IN THE PROJECT INCLUDED.
  • Full turn key solution provided in relation to the design and supply of four 170 square metre table systems using a mixture of custom fabricated steel and proprietary formwork.
  • Each table designed to support loads up to 500t and reusable up to 10 times.
  • 32 headstocks formed in total over both land and water.
  • Over 150 lineal metres of custom steel circular column formwork designed and supplied in diameters of 2.2m and 2.4m
  • The coordination and supply of over 70 custom fabricated elements including logistics of oversized loads transported over two different states.
  • 24-hour support from our team of inhouse Engineers.
  • Over 350 hours of design time invested into the project including 3d modeling and constructability methods.
MAJOR SUBCONTRACTORS ENGAGED TO COMPLETE STRUCTURE
  • Acciona and Ferrovial JV
  • Formcon Group Pty Ltd
  • Robar Civil Pty Ltd

“Our experience with Acrow Formwork at the Harwood Bridge Project has been of the highest level, both from the design development stage to the delivery, installation and ongoing service of our major temporary formwork systems for all bridge components; including major column and headstocks in both the land and marine environment”.

Edward McPhillips Area Manager Acciona and Ferrovial Joint Venture
ACROW REVENUE – HARWOOD BRIDGE
  • Approx $2.10 million in Hire and consumables.
ACROW GEAR UTILISED ON SITE
  • Acrow Supercuplock
  • Acrow Slimlite and SlimMax Soldiers.
  • Custom Fabricated Steel and Proprietary Formwork
Testimonial – City of Mount Gambier
, Acrow Group

To whom it may concern,

RE: TECHNICAL REFERENCE – ACROW FORMWORK & SCAFFOLDING

I have recently been associated with Acrow Formwork and Scaffolding on a project in Mount Gambier and I would like to sincerely recommend them for future construction projects.

As a client-side project manager for the City of Mount Gambier I had dealings with Acrow for numerous months via the head contractor, Dycer Constructions, and witnessed on site the quality of the company’s work.

The project (Civic Centre Flytower Façade Refurbishment) we worked on together involved one of the most complex scaffolding systems possible and Acrow effectively managed the installation and removal to an outstanding degree. The project provided numerous complexities that Bill Goodall and his team worked through to assist in delivering the project successfully.

I would like to express my desire to work on future projects with Acrow Formwork and Scaffolding and value my current relationship.

Regards,

Michael SILVY Manager Development & Regulatory

Acrow delivers productivity savings in Sydney
, Acrow Group

Acrow’s unique products have delivered both time and cost savings to the construction of a 14 storey, 826 bed student accommodation building within Sydney’s landmark Central Park development.

Located on the site of the former Carlton and United Brewery on Broadway, Central Park is a multi-faceted urban development project managed by Frasers Property. Concreters, Rediform, working for builders Richard Crookes Constructions, engaged Acrow to design and supply the formwork for the student accommodation building’s soffits. Acrowform panels were selected as the best product for the job, and were used on levels 1 to 15 of the building.

Acrow Revesby Account Manager, Mark Christie, says speed of erection and recycling from level to level made Acrowform panels the ideal product for this project. “Rediform erected Acrowform panels on levels 1 to 3. Once the pour dried on level 1, those panels were moved up to level 4, and so on. This way, Rediform were able to save money because instead of hiring panels for every level, they were able to recycle panels, taking them from level to level.”

“This is only possible because of the ease and speed with which Acrowform panels can be erected and recycled from level to level.”

“Rediform have actually done their own analysis of the improved productivity achievable using Acrowform panels. They estimate Acrowform panels deliver a 23 per cent increase in productivity (per m2) compared to conventional formwork. They also estimate Acrowform panels can be installed up to 70 per cent faster (per man) than conventional formwork.”

With such productivity gains, it’s no wonder Rediform have partnered with Acrow on a number of occasions.

“Rediform have now used Acrowform panels on a range of projects including the Sydney International Airport Car Park, the Harold Park residential development and the Wentworth Point Marina development.”

“Rediform appreciates Acrow’s accurate and efficient formwork design service, as well as our fast delivery turnaround times, which help keep any given project on track.” Rediform also engaged Acrow to provide heavy duty, high load SuperCuplock for construction of the Central Park building’s void on levels 1 and 2.

“Our product range, design expertise and our responsiveness mean we always deliver for our clients,” says Mark.

Acrow’s ‘can-do’ attitude sets a complex build on a course for success
, Acrow Group

Always striking, architecturally innovative buildings are also extra complex to build and Perth’s new, five storey Curtin University Building 410 is no exception. Described by the university as a ‘transformative teaching and learning’ facility, the building’s design includes enormous cantilevered beams, many of which were pre-fabricated and craned onsite.

Hamish Clark from Perth Rigging – the project’s concreters – says supporting these beams required a heavy-duty propping product plus a team with the design know-how to deliver.

“We chose Acrow and their Powershore propping system,” explains Hamish. “We’ve worked with Acrow on a few previous projects and we like the quality of their products as well as their ‘can do’ attitude. The Acrow approach is collaborative and they focus on creating workable solutions to get the job done.”

The team at Acrow in Perth collaborated with third party engineers to create custom solutions and a design that not only met Perth Rigging’s needs, but was able to cope with last-minute changes.

“In the end, the wall panels were affixed before all the beams were installed, whereas the initial plan was to affix them at the very end. Luckily, the design we had developed in partnership with the engineers, plus the inherent strength of the Powershore product, meant this project revision went off without a hitch,” said Acrow account manager, Steven Tip.

Project builders, the Georgiou Group, also engaged Acrow to back-prop the building’s in-situ beams using Acrow’s lightweight aluminium GASS shoring system.

“GASS was the perfect product for these in-situ beams. It’s a medium duty product that did the job beautifully,” said Steven.

Acrow’s ability to supply the right product at the right time and for the right price has been appreciated by both the Georgiou Group and Perth Rigging.

“This building is pretty ‘out there’,” says Hamish Clark. “It’s a bit of a mission to build something so complex. Partnering with Acrow has made the process much smoother from our perspective.”

Oceanvale Warriewood
, Acrow Group
Acrow Formwork & Scaffolding continues to lead the way with innovative and cost effective formwork and scaffolding solutions to the building and construction industry. The Oceanvale Warriewood development in Sydney is just one example of Acrow leading the way by being awarded the contract for stage 1 and subsequently stage 2 for the supply of scaffolding to the perimeter of the buildings on the Oceanvale development.

The contract awarded to Acrow included the supply of labour for the erection and dismantling of the scaffold and was coordinated by Acrow’s in house Site Manager and Project Manager. As part of its value proposition Acrow also provided a full set of engineering drawings and plans to the customer that provided the detail and scope for the proposed scaffolding project. At its peak approximately 300 tonnes of modular scaffolding was utilised on the two buildings.

Meriton, the developer of Oceanvale Warriewood, is just one of the valued clients which Acrow has formed a long-standing relationship with.

Acrow features an impressive portfolio of projects including, but not limited to, the redevelopment of the MCG, Kogan Creek Power Station, the Brisbane Airport Link Project, the Urban Superway Northern Connector, Adelaide, the Royal Children’s Hospital, Perth and AAMI Park, Melbourne.

Esperance Port Access Corridor
, Acrow Group

Acrow. On time. On budget. As usual.

Acrow helps a major WA project stay ahead of schedule

It’s not often a significant infrastructure project runs ahead of schedule. With the help of Acrow’s first-rate design service, on-time supply and innovative Powershore, SlimLite Soldier and SuperCuplock products, the Esperance Port Access Corridor project is running a full month ahead of schedule.

The project

The $200 million Esperance Port Access Corridor project features a 170 metre road and rail tunnel, a pedestrian underpass and bridges including the Twilight Road Bridge. The largest Main Roads construction project undertaken in Esperance (located eight hours south of Perth), its goal is to improve access into the Port as well as deliver a safer, more efficient road network for the community.

Acrow’s involvement has been to design and supply all the Formwork and Falsework across the project.

Acrow products underpin project efficiency

The project’s Twilight Road Bridge features a 10.8 metre gap (to allow for two lanes of traffic) underneath a 1.8 metre voided slab. With its high leg loads (up to 212 kNs per leg), Powershore was the ideal Falsework for this part of the project – and it took just three days to erect.

“It’s the only system in its class of leg loading that you can manually handle,” explains Acrow Regional Sales Manager, Conan Godrich. “As a modular system it’s very quick and easy to erect and requires minimal crane use as most of it can be done by hand. Certainly none of our competitors systems could have achieved what Acrow’s did in just three days with Powershore.”

Meanwhile, 350 tonnes of Acrow’s SuperCuplock and 1300 Slim-MaxLite Soldiers have been used to construct Falsework across not only the Twilight Road Bridge (as Falsework and bridge wing formwork), but throughout the rest of the project. “SuperCuplock is ideal on a large-scale, diverse project like this because of its versatility and high load capacity.”

Accurate design, on time delivery

With its in-house design capabilities, Acrow worked with the client’s requirements and came up with a tailored solution to suit the Esperance Port Access Corridor project’s needs. “All products were delivered on time and in full. The accurate design drawings then enabled the contractor to erect everything very quickly and efficiently, hence the project is running ahead of schedule.”

Aurora Estate
, Acrow Group

Acrowall 60 formwork ‘impressive’ says client

At the Aurora Estate on Melbourne’s northern fringe, a new community is about to be born. Set along the edge of an existing waterway, a culvert was needed to provide road access and protect the new estate from flooding, while at the same time preserving local wildlife such as the creek’s community of frogs. Acrowall 60 formwork helped make it happen…and ‘wowed’ the client in the process.

“Acrowall 60 is a versatile, lightweight and cost-effective formwork product. It was perfect at the Aurora Estate, where the panels – each 2700mm x 750mm and weighing just 60kgs each – could be manually handled or simply built into large crane-handled assembly for fast movement on site,” explains Acrow Project Sales Representative, Shayne Cairns.

A unique construction, the Aurora Estate culvert will act as a dam should the creek ever flood and as such, it features very high, long wing walls.

“Even at heights of 6.5 metres, such as on the Aurora culvert, Acrowall 60 is quick to erect because of the size, shape and weight of the panels.”

Shayne says another advantage of using Acrowall 60 is that it does not require the purchase of LVL and ply.

“Plus, when you hire from Acrow you have access to immediate professional support and advice from our expert team, which can save a lot of time and money.

And here’s what the client thought…

Brasher Constructions was engaged to build the Aurora Estate culvert. We were humbled to receive glowing feedback – not just on Acrowall 60 but also on our service delivery – from Managing Director, Ron Brasher.

“Having chosen Acrowall 60 as formwork for the Aurora project, I was very impressed with the way it goes together to achieve a height of 6.5 metres with a 500mm wall thickness.”

“After more than 30 years in the construction industry, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Acrow for all formworking jobs. They are a professional outfit – from their sales reps to their truck drivers to their admin team. Thank you Acrow. I look forward to doing more business with you.”

South Road Superway
, Acrow Group

Urban Superway Elevated Roadway Adelaide

For this major South Australian elevated roadway project, a formwork support system was required that would enable the construction of 9+ metre high concrete piers…without disrupting traffic at ground level. It was time to call in the experts: Acrow and SuperCuplok.

Products to suit the demands of the job

Featuring a dual carriageway with three lanes in each direction, Adelaide’s $842 million South Road Superway project is the state’s most complex engineering and road construction project to date. One of its key features is a 2.8 km stretch of elevated roadway designed to ease congestion, increase traffic flow and minimise delays associated with freight traffic.

Acrow designed and supplied SuperCuplok falsework to support the construction of on- and off-ramps and tall concrete piers at the Superway’s northern end. Creating a falsework system to enable elevated 9+ metre high piers to be constructed – without disrupting traffic – required design expertise as well as versatile products.

“SuperCuplok has higher leg loads than many competitor products, and this ensures safety at heights. It was the ideal product in this situation,” explains Acrow Account Manager, Scott Muldoon. “SuperCuplok is also very easy to assemble and dismantle, so it’s an efficient, cost-effective system.”

In addition to SuperCuplok, Acrow’s new galvanized steel Slim-Max Soldiers were used as bearers running in one direction across the SuperCuplok formwork support.

“The Slim-Max Soldiers were perfect because of their high strength and versatility,” says Scott.

Unique design

Acrow’s in-house designers and engineers came up with a cantilevered system that enabled SuperCuplok to be erected without impacting on traffic flow.

“We had to cantilever a lot of our loads to avoid blocking road access at street level,” says Scott. “The accuracy of the design drawings was spot-on and in fact the guys on site commented that this made their job of erecting the falsework much simpler.”

A proven track record

Acrow had successfully partnered with project builders, Kenny Constructions, prior to the Superway project.

“Our track record of design accuracy, product knowledge and workable solutions helped Acrow win the contract for this project.”

Caval Ridge Coal Mine
, Acrow Group

Does Acrow deliver on promise, price and performance? Dam right we do.

When Acrow was asked to quote on designing and supplying formwork and scaffolding for the 12N dam outlet system mixing chamber at Queensland’s Caval Ridge open cut coal mine, they responded immediately.

“As soon as we received the drawings, we had a formwork design completed and back to the client for approval,” says Acrow Project Representative, Paul Sjerp.

“Our response time really differentiates Acrow from our competition. We have an in-house design/engineering team who ensure we obtain what is required to get back to our clients – prospective and actual – straight away.”

Service, service, service

At Caval Ridge mine, such an efficient level of service has been an ongoing hallmark of Acrow’s involvement.

“A build project of this scale is complex, and unforeseen situations always crop up. Any issues have to be dealt with as soon as they arise.”

“Mother Nature has certainly shown Queensland’s construction industry its dark side for the last few months, but at Acrow we deal with any issues by assisting our clients promptly and efficiently, which helps keep delays to a minimum.”

Acrow’s superior products prove their value

Acrowall 80 is a robust, versatile formwork system that offers a maximum permissible concrete pressure of 80kPa.

“This is a fairly high pressure for a panel system. Any higher and you’d have to go back to traditional timber and ply, which can be a lot more costly.”

“At Caval Ridge, Acrowall 80 has been used to great effect in conjunction with Acrow’s high strength Slim-Max Soldiers.”

“We’ve also used heavy duty, high load SuperCuplok scaffolding to provide access to both the interior and exterior of the mixing chamber structure.”

It’s all about attitude

“Acrow was awarded the 12N Mixing Chamber Project at Caval Ridge because we’re easy to deal with, have excellent problem-solving abilities, an innovative range of products, and we provide a very fast and effective design and supply service.”