The slaughterhouse for the cutting-edge meat processor Westfort in the Dutch municipality of Ijsselstein is currently being extended to provide one of the most advanced and sustainable slaughterhouses in the world. An important component of this project is the neighbouring waste water treatment plant. It is designed around a 26.60 m long and 14.70 m wide watertight concrete tank divided into individual sections by internal walls. All the walls had to be cast in one pour so that the tank would be completely watertight. With a wall thickness of 60 cm and a height of 11.50 m, this presented a real challenge because of the enormous pressure generated by the fluid concrete. The contractor's site team had first to find a formwork system that would be able to withstand this pressure. The solution proved to be a combination of NOEtop panel elements with heavy-duty BKS push-pull props.
NOEtop panel system
NOEtop is a steel frame formwork system known for its extreme robustness and long service life. The frame is hot-dip galvanised internally and externally. NOEtop can withstand a concrete pressure of 88 kN/m². A characteristic that made it absolutely perfect for the task in hand. Another advantage was that the formwork manufacturer offers the system in several well-selected panel formats. The largest is the XXL panel, which is the largest formwork panel on the market. With dimensions of 5.30 x 2.65 m, assembly and installation could not be more efficient. The site team combined two XXL panels with one 1.00 x 2.65 m NOEtop panel to reach the 11.50 m total panel height. The combined panels were assembled horizontally and lifted into their final positions using a crane.
BKS push-pull props
NOE BKS push-pull props were relied upon to keep the NOEtop forms safely in position. They are erected quickly and are generally used to stabilize precast concrete units and wall and column formwork. Capable of acting in tension and compression, the push-pull props are therefore perfectly suitable for resisting the additional wind loads on the Dutch site. The BKS push-pull props used for the construction of the waste water tank were 9.80 m long.
Concreted in 36 hours
The structure was concreted in full within only 36 hours, thanks to the successful systematic combination of NOEtop and BKS push-pull props. The concrete rose up the forms at a rate of 0.50 m per hour. The total area of formwork erected was 2630 m².
Site board:
- Client: Slachterij Westfort, IJsselstein, the Netherlands
- Main contractor: Cazant Betonbouw B.V., Kockengen, the Netherlands