Fire and Acoustic Rated Wall Systems

Speedpanel  is an innovative panel-based system for providing non-load-bearing fire and acoustic rated walls.

Quick to install, user-friendly on site and highly versatile, it has helped many architects, developers and construction professionals in Australia and New Zealand achieve success in a variety of applications.

Panels are made from roll-formed galvanised steel shells filled with lightweight aerated concrete. Interestingly, the steel and concrete are not bonded together. This allows the characteristics of the steel and concrete to compliment each other without the impedance, especially when exposed to fire conditions.

• Fire rating of 4 hours integrity / 2 hours thermally for a three metre high wall*.
• Acoustic systems ranging from Rw37 to Rw80.
• Quick installation and erection based on a simple modular system.
• Minimal footprint and lightweight, allowing flexible applications to various situations.
• All systems are backed by appropriate tests which comply with relevant Australian Standards.

Speedpanel was introduced to the Australian market early in 2000 and has grown steadily in the marketplace, with many key building companies now recognizing the benefits of Speedpanel and using it for selected building projects. Speedpanel has a manufacturing facility located in Kilsyth (Victoria), a manufacturing facility under license in New Zealand and recently a new license taken up in the UK.

Reduces Installation Time

Easy to erect, Speedpanel allows no fuss and mess on site and can be installed either horizontally or vertically, using 'C' track as a frame fixed to structural elements.

Its uniquely simple, interlocking ‘tongue and groove’ design reduces installation time, generating cost savings to projects. Each panel neatly interfaces with two others; the profile interlocks together without requiring adhesives between individual panels.

This unique design produces Speedpanel’s exceptional functionality as a fire barrier, boasting outstanding structural integrity under test conditions, whilst providing premium acoustic attenuation and unsurpassed electromagnetic frequency shielding.

Michael Byrne, of Byrne Construction Systems, installed Speedpanel Systems throughout the Return Air Shafts, Fresh Air Shafts, Service Ducts, Plant Rooms and Tenancy Walls, remarking: “The systems are simple and quick to install. The quality of finished product is excellent. I enjoy the cost savings associated with the Shaft Wall Systems; they use much less labour and time.”

Typical Applications

• Dividing and Boundary Walls for Warehouses & Factories
• Cinemas Walls & Sound Studios
• Lift Shafts, Service Ducts & Shafts.
• Service Corridors & Interenancy Walls in Retail Complexes.
• Plant Rooms, Com's and Computer Rooms.
• Fire Escape Stairwells.
• Dangerous Goods & Security.
• Noise Barriers.
• Intertenancy Walls for Hotels, Apartments & Retirement Complexes.
• Replacement for Non-essential Brickwork, ie: stairwells, duct and lift wells.

Significant Benefits

Configuration may be horizontal or vertical. Panels are fixed and appropriately sealed into a ‘C’ track perimeter frame providing structural support. Significant benefits are attributed to the lightweight construction that can be achieved utilising Speedpanel systems, including minimising slab requirements and expenses associated with footings and groundwork, and further reducing costs and risks associated with cranage.

Speedpanel is ideal for use in the construction of walls over 3 metres.

Speedpanel systems reduce site labour, mess, and engineering requirements (including scaffolding required to install some ‘traditional’ alternatives) that were previously assumed to be an unavoidable nuisance of the construction process. Not only are Speedpanel systems extensively tested and certified to deliver premium quality wall solutions that are 100% Australian made and owned; the products are totally reusable and recyclable. In fact, approximately fifteen percent of the aerated concrete core is ‘flyash’, a previously recycled product.

Major Projects

Speedpanel has been successfully installed on various projects. Projects include Vodaphone Arena (Melb) for Thiess Constructions, Harbour View Apartments (a ten storey apartment building) for Abigroup Builders, separation walls for the Westfield Corporation Cinema complex (Burwood NSW) and a fire separation wall of the AIRA factory complex (Kilsyth VIC).

Other projects include:

• MCG Northern Stand Redevelopment, Melbourne.
• The Metropolitan Apartments, Canberra.
• Freshwater Place, Melbourne.
• Eureka Tower, Melbourne.
• M-Central Apartments, Sydney.
• Commonwealth Bank, Melbourne.
• River Shoes, Ballarat.
• Botany Town Centre Cinema, Auckland, NZ.

The innovative and professional team at Speedpanel are constantly improving the product to continue to provide lightweight, footprint saving high performance building systems. The beauty of the Speedpanel system is that it can be tailored to suit the specific needs of individual projects.