Spilling Secrets – The secrets of Span+

We’ve never shied away from saying ‘we challenge the status-quo’ – it’s in the DNA of our company. ‘Just because it’s the way things have always been done’, is not a good reason to cling to tradition. As philosopher J. Krishnamurti succinctly and eloquently says, “Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.” And while a niche of the construction industry, our Team is here to challenge traditional methodologies of mounting HVACR equipment.

Some years ago, the R&D department at Con-form Group looked at the issues around traditional structural steel plant platforms – their weight, the real estate the inhabit, the long install process, the cost! We knew there had to be an easier way to install heavy plant machinery where purlin mounting is not an option.

Our Structural Engineers worked to chip away at all the concerns associated with traditional structural steel platforms and came up with the innovation we now call ‘Span+’. Its name is a tribute to its ability to span great lengths, up to 10.5m in its pre-engineered capacity – but can be increased to suit site-specific requirements.

The Span+ is lightweight (19kgs/m2 to be precise – 85% lighter than its steel equivalents), is held in place by engineer-certified stub columns that connect directly to the rafters – eliminating the need for thick columns that extend from the roof to the ground, is cost-effective, requires no hot-works (significantly reducing down-time), and can be installed in a matter of days instead of weeks! 

With all the benefits of Span+, it’s no wonder we’re seeing a proliferation of Span+ platforms on sites across Australia.

But don’t take our word for it, watch the video in this article to see the journey of a Span+ install and the experience from a client’s perspective.

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

On the roof of a mixed-use development in regional NSW, our team designed, engineered, manufactured and installed three of our Span+ (rafter-mounted) plant decks.

Finished with walkways, guardrails and access ladders to platforms, it took three days to install all Span+ HVACR platforms.

Of the challenges the Builder had with the roof of this project, Mr Forbes said, “we had issues with structural integrity of the roof, being an existing site – the Span+ dealt with our structural problems quite well’.

Whether it’s an existing or new build, Span+ can be engineered to fit any roof.

Our Engineering team worked closely with our client to provide a solution to support the HVACR units without compromising the structural integrity of the building.

“Three benefits of the Span+ platform is, it’s lightweight, the lead-times for manufacturing are super quick and, the cost… it also provides the same structural integrity as a traditional steel platform” said Adam Ford, Accounts Specialist at Con-form Group.