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Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

1986

  • Work on this object began.

2013

  • Work on this object ended.

2016

2025

  • You found it!

Plastic Formwork System

This is a Project. It was designed by moladi. It is dated 1986–2013. Its medium is formwork: plastic polymer blend, reinforcing steel bars; mortar: granite or river sand, ordinary portland cement, moladichem.

The Plastic Formwork System is a method of building cast-in-place concrete structures that can be constructed quickly by unskilled laborers with locally sourced materials. The system is comprised of square plastic components that join together to form wall panels from which the house is assembled. The house’s infrastructure—steel-reinforcement bars, conduits, window and door frames, pipes and other fittings—is positioned on the wall and sandwiched between a second layer of panels, forming a cavity into which a lightweight concrete mortar is poured. After the mortar dries overnight, the Plastic Formwork panels are removed. The resulting house can both withstand natural disasters and provide thermal insulation and moisture resistance.

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/420778965/ |title=Plastic Formwork System |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=6 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>