After the pour(s)

Phew - running big a workshop is a lot of work and a lot of fun!! It's almost the end of a crazy couple of weeks teaching 2nd semester architecture students at the workshop I introduced here.
The ambitions were big - formwork was to be designed and build for a concrete slab cast vertically and 2 meters in height

 [Image from pour day one. 10 pieces ready to stand the test. Photo from student report]

[Image of fabric formwotk produced by students for a 2 meter high, S-shaped wall. Photo: A-M Manelius]

Two full days and four afternoons
Everyone really got into the task. The time limit was four afternoons and two full days at a workshop where the students produced the formwork. The spatial limit was that the formwork when transported could fit within the plan of one EU-pallet of 80x120 cm. This way the formwork could be moved easily.

On Monday we transported the formwork to the quay behind the Royal DK Art Academy, School of Architecture - Tuesday was pour day

[Image of fabric formed concrete wall. Traces of the EPS blockouts are visible. Photo: A-M Manelius]

Learning by blow outs
The pour was long - 3 hours - due to the fact that more than half of 10 forms actually blew... Quite spectacular, indeed!! All of the blowouts were in the bottom corner connections of the forms where the pressure was the highest. Being only 2nd semester, the students have limited structural knowledge - and with limited time at our hands, the teaching staff had very little time for each group to actually get around all the critical points- Concrete was ruthless!

4.5 cubic meters of concrete
At the end - most groups were ready to fill the forms again after fixing the weak points - at this point, however, we were out of concrete - a few of the forms 'ate it all up'. Today we got the chance to pour the rest - so on top of the 3 cubic meters delivered on Tuesday [3000 liters or 7,5 tons of concrete] another 1.5 arrived today.

The night before Xmas
We managed to fill all but one form today (the last one died again half way up) - and again use all the concrete - there was just enough.
A few groups could strip their forms filled on Tuesday - the rest will be revealed tomorrow - it's just like Xmas!!