The Savings Opportunity Hidden Beneath Working Platforms

Construction projects are under constant pressure to do more with less. Tight budgets, compressed schedules, and increasing material costs have made efficiency a priority on every jobsite. While much of the focus tends to be on major design decisions, working platforms are an often-overlooked area that can have a significant impact on both project costs and construction timelines.

Not Just a Construction Requirement

Working platforms are often viewed simply as a necessary part of preparing a site for construction. Because their purpose is to provide a stable surface for heavy equipment, it’s easy to overlook that, in addition to playing a key role in safety and equipment performance, they have a significant effect on overall project efficiency and cost.

As contractors and owners continue looking for ways to control costs without compromising efficiency, optimizing working platform design has become an increasingly important consideration.

The Importance of Smarter Design

Historically, working platform designs have relied to some extent on conservative assumptions to account for varying soil conditions and construction uncertainties. While this approach provides an added margin of confidence, it can also result in thicker platforms and greater material usage than may actually be required.

Today, advances in design methodologies are helping engineers make more informed decisions based on project-specific conditions. These sophisticated, technology-driven approaches give engineers much greater confidence in optimizing working platform designs to meet project requirements, while reducing costs.

More Material Choices, Lower Project Costs

The thickness of a working platform directly influences the amount of aggregate required for construction. Even modest reductions in platform thickness can translate into fewer truckloads of material, lower transportation costs, reduced installation time, and less site disruption. 

Plus, designing with alternative aggregate types, including recycled and lower-quality materials—creates additional efficiencies and savings that can quickly add up to big savings.

Small Design Decisions. Big Project Impacts.

Every truckload of aggregate that doesn't need to be delivered represents savings in material, hauling, and installation. Reducing aggregate quantities can also decrease equipment run time, improve construction efficiency, and help lower a project's environmental footprint by reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions. When multiplied across an entire project, even relatively small design optimizations can produce meaningful operational and financial benefits.

Tensar's T-Value Method: Optimizing with Assurance

Tensar's T-Value Method is a cloud-based platform that provides a universal formula for designing working platforms across a wide range of conditions. 

Backed by full-scale research and based on sound engineering principles, the T-Value Method lets engineers optimize designs by considering the interaction between underlying soils, geogrid reinforcement, and different kinds of aggregate (including recycled and lower-quality materials).

Tensar+,Used in combination with our software, Tensar+, engineers can evaluate design alternatives and better understand how different working platform configurations may affect material quantities, construction efficiency, and overall project costs

Learn More

Working platforms may be temporary structures, but the decisions made during their design can have major implications on project cost, timing, long-term performance, and overall success.

Visit Tensar+ to explore the tool and download the infographic  and discover how optimized design can help cut installation costs by up to 25%, reduce the amount of aggregate required by up to 50%, and lower overall construction costs by up to 60%.