System Construction (Box System): Eliminating the Need for Cement Hollow Blocks

Cement hollow blocks (CHB) are redundant because they don't carry structural loads, are messy to use and time consuming. However, CHBs are still in use in the Philippines because:

1. Homebuilders probably don’t know that the System Construction method is now available;
2. Investing in this new construction method may be too expensive for the contractor; or
3. The contractor does not know how to use the system.

Simply speaking, the Box System is a solid reinforced concrete structural system which provides the homebuilder with the following benefits:

Durability – Strength has a premium between 8 to 12 percent in cost
Time Efficiency – Construction time is faster by 20 to 30 percent (10 months reduced to 8 months or even shorter).
Cost Competitive – Because the cost of plastering (both sides) is eliminated, you save labor when you shorten the construction period.
High Quality – Self-leveling, self-plumbing, self-90 degree, self-aligning, no cracks

Without sounding too technical, the strength of a load-bearing hollow block is only 800 PSI while the strength of the box system is almost 400 times that of a CHB at 3,000 PSI.

Using system construction, we can build the 'bare structure' of a bungalow-type house in just 7 days!

Construction is based on technology. Builders have to adapt to the changes and developments in order to improve their methods.

We have constructed the first multi-storey (4 basements+18 storeys) precast/post-tensioned (European technology) building in Makati, Philippines.

System Construction (Box System)

Walls/Column

The introduction of the System Construction method in constructing residential and commercial buildings in the Philippines has greatly changed the atmosphere of construction in the country. This fast, durable and cost-efficient construction method eliminates the need for plastering and makes CHB walls redundant. This new method uses US patented formwork panels (which comes in different sizes) placed side by side or on top of the others to form the core of walls, columns and partitions of any structure.

Fresh concrete is then poured on the core and allowed to set and stripped, which results in structural building elements superior to those produced by conventional methods. 
System construction is ideal for both small and large projects (including mass housing, mansions and multi-storey buildings) because we simply increase the quantity of the formwork panels, which always deliver fully-constructed structures, including smooth wall surfaces and precise doors and windows, which are ready for finishing.

For example, the structural phase (including plastering) of a low-cost house with a floor area of 24 to 36 square meters, with an enclosed bathroom, bedroom and its perimeter walls, can be finished within a 2-day work cycle, assuming that the soil has been prepared to receive the slab-on-fill.

Unlike the conventional method of using CHB, the Box System optimizes the use of walls both as partitions and structural elements. Shifting from frame structural resisting elements (footing/column/beam/slab) to box-type (grade slab-on-fill/wall/slab) elements gives the owner better value for his/her investment. This structural design and construction concept complies with Universal Design Standards and the National Building Code of the Philippines.