Custom Formwork Meets Demands for Architectural Excellence
Arching over Wilshire Boulevard, a new wing for the Los Angeles Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to deliver a unique museum experience to visitors. The museum will replace four deteriorating buildings, resulting in a 348,000-square foot-structure that includes 110,000 square feet of gallery space, dedicated areas for education, a theater, restaurants, event venues, and more.
Located on Museum Row adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits, the expansion presented a challenge to designers: It needed to span to the south while also accommodating the limited available space.
The design called for concrete shear walls that required an architectural concrete finish, requiring many complex considerations when selecting concrete materials, forming, placing, and finishing to bring to life the architectural vision.
Each architectural wall required a different tie pattern. Tie patterns are two forms that are tied together to resist the pressure of a concrete pour. Since the design was highly unique and required great attention to detail, the tie patterns varied from wall to wall. The varying tie patterns required an adaptable formwork solution that could be reconfigured to allow for efficient cycling of material on site, and re-use.
PERI USA was selected to meet the challenge, ensuring that the chosen formwork could be cycled throughout the lengthy duration of the project.
Seamless Solution
The project team selected PERI USA’s VARIO GT 24 Girder Wall Formwork. VARIO Wall Formwork can be adapted to suit all geometries and requirements, with the ability to freely arrange individual components, making the perfect solution for this custom design. With girder wall formwork, the arrangement of individual system components can be utilized, such as tie positions or acceptable fresh concrete pressure. Custom steel corners were also developed to work in conjunction with the formwork system and tie patterns.
“The unique part of this design is that there’s no columns in the entire building,” said Daniel Dubisky, regional sales manager, PERI USA. “This was a complex engineered build that required the upper floors to be supported by core walls and shear walls, on top of being an incredibly complex design from an engineering standpoint.”
VARIO GT 24 is ideal as a formwork solution for architectural concrete walls. It is also effective across a wide range of applications including commercial, industrial, civil, and residential projects. The formwork gives crews the ability to make continuous adjustments through the elongated holes in the walers and couplings with flush, aligned, and tight panel connections. VARIOKIT also puts a premium on safety and jobsite efficiency with pre-assembled, ready-to-use platforms.
On Display
Construction began in January of 2022. PERI products were on site for 18 months, with the project wrapping up construction in early 2024
Architect: Peter Zumthor
Concrete Construction: Largo Concrete
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