Uses and Benefits of Mivan Technology

BuildoTech Magazine India - Editor August 25, 2012 Building Technology-old, Design softwareLeave a comment 2,452 Views

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Mivan is an aluminium formwork system developed by a European

construction company. In 1990, the Mivan Company Ltd. from Malaysia started manufacturing these
formwork systems. Today, more than 30,000sqm of formwork from Mivan Co. Ltd. is used across the
world. There are a number of buildings in Mumbai that are being constructed with the help of the Mivan
system, that has proven economical as well as satisfactory for the overall Indian construction environment.
One of the architectural examples is XRBIA which uses MIVAN system to achieve its dream of A House
for Every Indian
The technology has been used extensively in Europe, Gulf Countries, Asia and other parts of the world.
Mivan technology is suitable for constructing large number of houses in a short span of time using room
size forms to construct walls and slabs in one continuous pour on concrete. In this system of formwork
construction, castinsitu concrete wall and floor slabs cast monolithic provides the structural system in
one continuous pour. To facilitate fast construction, early removal of forms can be achieved by hot air
curing / curing compounds. Large room sized forms for walls and floor slabs are erected at site. These
strong and sturdy forms are fabricated with accuracy and are easy to handle. The concrete is produced in
RMC batching plants under strict quality control and convey it to site with transit mixers.

The frames for windows, doors and ducts for services are
placed in the form before concreting. Staircase flights, faade panels, chajjas and jails etc. and other pre-
fabricated items are also integrated into the structure. This proves to be a major advantage as compared to
other modern construction techniques. High quality Mivan Formwork panels ensure consistency of
dimensions. On the removal of the formwork mould a high quality concrete finish is produced to accurate
tolerances and verticality. The high tolerance of the finish means that, no further plastering is required.
Uses of Mivan Formwork:
3S System of Construction Speed, Strength, Safety
Column and beam construction are eliminated
Walls and slabs are cast in one operation
Specially designed, easy to handle light weight pre-engineered aluminium forms
Fitting and erecting the portion of shuttering
 Carrying out concreting of the walls and slabs together

Advantages:
Mivan formwork requires relatively less labour
More seismic resistance
Increased durability
Lesser number of joints and reduced leakages
Higher carpet area
Smooth finishing of wall and slab
Uniform quality of construction
Negligible maintenance
Faster completion

Limitations:
Even though there are so many advantages of Mivan formwork the limitations cannot be ignored. However
the limitations do not pose any serious problems. They are as follows:
Because of few small sizes finishing lines are seen on the concrete surfaces
Services after completing become slightly difficult due to the small width of components
It requires uniform planning as well as uniform elevations to be cost effective
The formwork requires number of spacer, wall ties etc. which are placed @ 2ft c/c; these produce
problems such as seepage, leakages during monsoon
Due to box-type construction, contraction cracks are likely to appear
Heat of hydration is high due to shear walls
It is rigid in design once placed, as any alteration becomes tough later

Remedial Measures:
It is possible to minimize contraction cracks by providing control strips in the structure which could be
concreted with a delay of about 3-7 days after major concreting. The problem of cracking can be avoided
by minimizing the heat of hydration by using flash.
 What is MIVAN Formwork?

The system of aluminum forms (MIVAN) has been used widely in the construction of
residential units and mass housing projects. It is fast, simple, adaptable and cost effective. It
produces total quality work which requires minimum maintenance and when durability is the
prime consideration. This system is most suitable for Indian condition as a tailormade
aluminum formwork for castinsitu fully concrete structure.

Background
Mivan is basically an aluminium formwork system developed by one of the
construction company from Europe. In 1990, the Mivan Company Ltd from Malaysia started
the manufacturing of such formwork systems. Now a days more than 30,000 sq m of
formwork used in the world are under their operation. In Mumbai, India there are number of
buildings constructed with the help of the above system which has been proved to be very
economical and satisfactory for Indian Construction Environment.
The technology has been used extensively in other countries such as Europe, Gulf
Countries, Asia and all other parts of the world. MIVAN technology is suitable for
constructing large number of houses within short time using room size forms to construct
walls and slabs in one continuous pour on concrete. Early removal of forms can be achieved
by hot air curing / curing compounds. This facilitates fast construction, say two flats per day.
All the activities are planned in assembly line manner and hence result into more accurate,
well controlled and high quality production at optimum cost and in shortest possible time.
In this system of formwork construction, cast in situ concrete wall and floor slabs
cast monolithic provides the structural system in one continuous pour. Large room sized
forms for walls and floors slabs are erected at site. These forms are made strong and sturdy,
fabricated with accuracy and easy to handle. They afford large number of repetitions (around
250). The concrete is produced in RMC batching plants under strict quality control and
convey it to site with transit mixers.
The frames for windows and door as well as ducts for services are placed in the form
before concreting. Staircase flights, faade panels, chajjas and jails etc. and other pre-
fabricated items are also integrated into the structure. This proves to be a major advantage as
compared to other modern construction techniques.
The method of construction adopted is no difference except for that the sub structure
is constructed using conventional techniques. The superstructure is constructed using
MIVAN techniques. The integrated use the technology results in a durable structure.