Safety, Speed Key to Success at Chicago's Superior House Luxury Condo Development

Safety is a priority on this fast-track project in downtown Chicago, thanks in part to a tight deadline and an even tighter footprint. To build 13 stories in four months, the contractor,  Concrete Structures of the Midwest, required a formwork system that would enable a three-day construction cycle.

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The contractor found Superdek to be a very quick handset system that ultimately saved the contractor time and money. For instance, a six-man crew built the first half of the 9th floor (6,500 sq. ft.) in 3.5 hours—a production rate of around 310 sq. ft. per manhour. Stripping was fast and clean. Because all racks are on bolt-on caster wheels, the crew found it easy to take out the joists and move them via the racks.

Superdek also allowed the crew to move and store equipment under the shoring with limited obstructions from shoring legs.

Workers were able to install the forming equipment from below (on the ground), which—in addition to speeding cycle times—minimized the risk of falls and created a safer work environment.

With Superdek, workers can safely form around the building perimeter from inside the building on the slab below. Edge beam cantilevers from an interior stringer allow the perimeter slab edge to be set from below and maintain the drop head function.

“We had the privilege of being the first in the Midwest to use Doka’s Superdek system,” said James Alekna, Scaffold Foreman, Concrete Structures of the Midwest. “It has clear advantages over systems we’ve worked with in the past because it is efficient and helps us to avoid using ladders. Because we could do more work from the ground, we didn’t have to worry about falls—which is a main contributor of injuries in our industry.”