Quantifying the relationship between geometric buildability factors and formwork productivity: the case of walls

In today's economic climate, improving the efficiency of labour has become more pressing than ever. Labour productivity is influenced by several factors, but buildability is among the most important. A thorough search of the literature, however, revealed a dearth of quantitative investigations into its effects on an integral, labour intensive, trade of in situ reinforced concrete material; namely, formwork. Therefore, the objective of this research is to quantify the relationship between: a) perimeter configurations; b) plan geometry; c) curvature intensity; d) surface area, and formwork labour productivity of walls, which constitute major parts of many construction projects. To achieve this objective, a large volume of productivity data was collected and analysed using the multiple categorical-regression method. The results obtained show significant effects of the factors investigated on labour productivity, which can be used to provide designers and construction managers with tangible feedback on the impacts of the geometric buildability factors investigated upon the efficiency of operatives.