History of the Aluminium Formwork System

The Aluminium formwork system was developed by W.J. Malone, a Canadian Engineer in the late 1970's as a system for constructing low-cost housing units in the developing countries. The units were to be of cast in place concrete with the load bearing walls and formed with aluminium panels. To be erected by the hundreds, using a repetitive design, the system ensured a fast and economical method of construction.

Using that fundamental concept 1200 units were built in Egypt followed by 1500 units in Iraq. The latter project was incredibly successful-setting records for speed and quality of construction at minimal costs.

The system was next used in Malaysia. To conform to legal demands it was redesigned to be used for forming columns and beams rather than load bearing walls. Until its introduction in Malaysia, the system had undergone steady development to include the construction of stairways, balconies, window hoods and decorative features. This new capability to form any combination of columns and beams marked a signification breakthrough. It is yet to be matched by any other construction system in the world market.

The Aluminium formwork system has been used successfully in different countries like Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. These projects were a mixture of low-rise, high-rise, low cost housing, and five-star condominiums, load bearing wall design and column and beam design.