Mumbai is experiencing a
huge building boom.
"Planning and construction
has begun on
hundreds of new mid- and highrise
buildings in the city's central
business district, in the former
mill lands and Dharavi. The most
conspicuous is the Palais Royale, a
tall hotel, commercial and residential
tower," says MEVA, a leading
international provider of innovative
formwork solutions company
which is headquartered in
Haiterbach, Germany.
With a height of over 320 metres,
Palais Royale, coming up at Worli
in central Mumbai, is set to dominate
the city's skyline after completion
in 2010. Developer Shree
Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd has
achieved LEED platinum certification
from the Indian Green
Building Council, setting new
standards in water and energy
management, waste recycling
and reduced carbon emissions.
MEVA formwork and climbing
systems are used for all on-site
concrete works, including cores,
slabs and walls, using cuttingedge
technology in order to deliver
a quality product on time, safely
and efficiently.
Two independent systems are
running on lift and staircase
shafts. MEVA's hydraulic MAC
system—short for MEVA Automatic
Climbing—provides complete
protection for workers with
full cladding surrounding the
external hanging platforms. The
working space inside the external
platforms is generous. No external
secondary platforms are
required on the MAC. This allows
the contractor to follow closely
with the slab construction.
The MAC system is supported
by jacking and shear key beams
inside the shafts. They sit on these
beams and lift the whole system in
one continuous operation.
The MAC's long-stroke, heavyduty
hydraulic system has a
capacity of 20 tonnes per ram
and a non-return ratchet that
locks on each cylinder. The
beams rest inside pockets set in
the walls that were previously
cast. Thus, the climbing load is
carried by concrete that has
already set: one of the system's
most conspicuous benefits in
terms of safety and speed.
Inside the MAC system an intermediary
platform gives access to
three-way adjustment devices.
The latter give the MAC system
an extreme accuracy of +/- 3 mm.
It allows the system to be quickly
plumbed and speeds up the stripping
and setting-up process. The
top of the ram rests against the
beams of the main grid.
MEVA's leading hand-set system,
the AluFix wall formwork, is
being used both on the site to form
walls up to heights of 3 metres,
and as a part of the climbing systems.
In the MAC units, the suspension
of the panels connects
directly to the main grid covering
the whole system.
During steel fixing the external
panels or shutters are retracted by
hand and give access to the core
structure. An intermediary working
platform set up at mid-height
allows for safe fixing. Another key
benefit of the MAC system is the
possibility of using drop panels for
confined spaces where retraction
is not practical.
Since the jacking points for the
rams are located under the main
grid, the top platform of the MAC
is free from jacking masts and
other mechanical obstacles. This
provides ample working space for
concreters. The platform can also
be used to store craned materials
such as rebars. Open voids are
minimised on the top platform
while concreting chutes ensure
that concrete is not spilled inside
the system. Placing booms can be
integrated into the MAC system.
Family-owned and managed,
MEVA was founded in 1970 and
today serves contractors in 40
locations including India, at Navi
Mumbai. MEVA’s inventions
have become the international
standard in the formwork industry,
notably the formwork clamp;
the closed, hollow profile; the
quicklowering system SAS; and
the articulated flange nut.