Principal Built Engineering delivers temporary works engineering to support safe construction. Temporary works are critical to construction success but carry high risks if inadequately designed. Principal Built Engineering works closely with site managers, formwork and scaffold suppliers and other disciplines to reduce on site issues and keep projects on program.
Principal Built Engineering also designs temporary retaining structures for excavation and staged construction works. Each temporary works solution is supported by clear calculations and documentation, giving contractors confidence in site safety and compliance throughout the construction phase.
- Formwork Systems: Design, certification, and detailing of wall, column, slab, beam, and suspended formwork (conventional timber and plywood, aluminium and proprietary systems), to AS 3610.
- Temporary Retaining Structures: Principal Built Engineering designs temporary retaining structures for excavation and staged construction works.
- Scaffold Loading Assessments and Anchorage Certification: Independent assessments of scaffold loads (dead, live, wind and impact), tie and anchor point design, and certification of fixings to existing structures (for example concrete cores and steel beams). Compliance with AS/NZS 1576 (scaffolding) and AS 1170 loading standards.
- Propping Design: Detailed propping systems for slabs, beams, walls, and transfers during demolition, strip-outs, or load redistribution. Includes steel props, Acrow-style shores, backpropping sequences, stability bracing, and capacity checks.
Temporary works design for contractors and builders
Temporary works design gives a contractor documented support for each stage of construction, from excavation and formwork through to demolition and strip out. Each design states the loads assumed, the sequence of installation and removal, and the checks to be made on site. For detailed propping of slabs, beams and walls see propping design, and for permanent retaining and civil works see retaining walls and civil structures. Contractors can request a quote with the drawings and the construction methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Temporary works design is the engineering of the structures used to build the permanent works, such as formwork, propping, temporary retaining, scaffold anchorage and crane platforms. These are designed, checked and documented in the same way as permanent structures.
The principal contractor is responsible for managing temporary works on site. A structural engineer designs the temporary works and provides the calculations and drawings the contractor needs to install, check and remove them safely.
Common standards include AS 3610 for formwork, AS/NZS 1576 for scaffolding and AS/NZS 1170 for structural design actions, along with the material design standards for steel, timber and concrete.
Yes. Backpropping is designed to carry construction loads from newly poured slabs down through the floors below until the new slab can support itself.
The permanent works drawings, the proposed construction method and sequence, the equipment and systems the contractor intends to use, and any site constraints such as access, excavation depth or adjacent structures.
