The Role of Formwork in Construction

As formwork contractors, we’re often surprised by how few people outside the construction industry truly understand the role of formwork in construction.

While the process dates back thousands of years, formwork-poured concrete is now a fundamental part of modern construction techniques, without which many of the structures we build would be impossible.

In this article, we’ll be providing a quick overview of what formwork is, why it’s so important, and why good formwork can make a major difference to the final outcome of a project.

Understanding Formwork

Formwork is, at its core, a straightforward concept. You build a mould into which your material, usually concrete, can be cast. Extend that process out to an entire building, and you’ve got a fast and affordable technique for creating large-scale concrete structures.

In practice, formwork can be a little more involved. Here at South East Formwork, we use countless techniques in order to provide the ideal custom solutions to our customers. These can include anything from reinforced concrete installations to bespoke frameworks built for a single specific use case. Still, the basic idea remains the same.

Why Formwork Remains So Popular

There are, of course, alternatives to formwork, arguably the most popular of which is precast concrete. That said, there’s a reason why formwork remains a go-to solution for construction work.

When you use precast concrete, you’re far more limited in the types of structures you can create, as well as your ability to alter the structure up until the last minute. Put simply, the design of your building has to be locked in at an earlier stage.

On the other hand, formwork is an incredibly versatile technique, meaning that it can be used to produce just about any structure you can think of. In many cases, it’s the ideal solution.

The Importance of Good Formwork

As with all things, the quality of your results depends on the people you hire. Good formwork contractors can not only produce stunning work, but they can do so while remaining pragmatic and well-organised throughout the process.

Here at South East Formwork, we’ve been doing this for years and, as such, we know our process and our industry inside and out. If you’re looking for the very best in formwork contractors, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can reach us at enquiries@southeastformwork.co.uk or by calling 01483 561391.