Hebel’s newest offering on the market, the Hebel Service Panel is receiving positive reviews before it has even hit the broader market. Designed to provide an efficient solution for multiple trades needing to install service cables, the clever thinking behind this seemingly simple product has been met with praise.
Mick Dunne, CSR’s NSW Business Development Manager, observes feedback such as ‘this was a product we have been waiting for’ as spot on, especially regarding the tangible benefits he is seeing across sites.
One of these install sites is TOGA’s Wick’s Place development in Marrickville NSW where 275 Hebel Service Panels have been successfully installed into this multilevel apartment complex.
Hebel Service Panels are custom designed to the building’s specification, with circular and square penetration holes placed within the panel to suit the variety of service ducts, pipes and cables that enter an apartment at the entrance door head of the corridor.
Mick Dunne from CSR explains he is hearing about the improvement in install speed and site cleanliness, given there is far less panel preparation done onsite. “By producing a ready-made panel with the correct penetrations cut and neatly finished, we greatly lower the need to cut or machine on site. This reduces dust, lowers physical injury from cutting tool use and makes for a cleaner worksite.”
Custom-made and arriving onsite pre-made, the Hebel Service Panels sit above the door head of each apartment.
The custom-made service panels are primarily designed to integrate into the Hebel corridor wall system in multi-use residential developments. The specialised team from CSR Hebel collaborate with the builder to create a panel that meets the requirements of their specifications. This process includes a review by the project fire engineers so the panels are pre-certified, which is a big plus for many builders and developers. By combining the fire compliance design for all services into the one integrated Hebel Service Panel at the start, it reduces the workload for the many approvals and inspections needed.
Currently, when each service and its respective penetration is fabricated on site, it often creates variability and error. The pre-set design of the Service Panel greatly reduces this risk of error and makes compliance inspection clearer and easier across the entire project.
The Service Panels retain the robust nature of 75mm thick AAC Hebel panels as the steel reinforcement mesh is specifically laid out across the panel, so the penetrations fit within the confines of the mesh design. Therefore, no steel reo is exposed or cut in the process, maintaining panel integrity and its long-term corrosion resistance.
The economical benefits of Hebel Service Panels have also been warmly received, as onsite fabrication often poses the risk of cutting errors and higher labour costs in rework. “The beauty of the Hebel Service Panel is that it’s hard to make a mistake” says Mick. “Due to the precise routed layout, no guess work is required, and there is no risk of damaging panels or a misshapen cut from the rougher treatment of hand-fabricating the service penetrations.”
The precise routed layout takes the guess work out of hand-fabricated service penetrations.
The reduction in labour costs is also a big factor as to why developers are now looking to use Hebel Service Panels as an attractive alternative to other fire-rated service products on the market.
Eric Wang, Site Supervisor for Benchmark Plaster Group, also points out another clever feature of the Service Panel design is the option of placing a marked ‘location zone’ on the panel. This is an outline routed into the surface of the panel that identifies where a service can be placed in at a later date. The outline shows the installer where they can install without impinging on existing services.
The clever ‘location zone’ is marked on the top right-hand side of this Hebel Service Panel to indicate a safe space for future installers to place service cables.
As Eric explains, “The future planning with Hebel Service Panels is great. Allowing for spare penetration zones that won’t hit the mesh or interfere with existing services means we can allocate space for new NBN cables or things like that that might pop up in the future.”
Eric also mentions, “One of the best things about the Hebel Service Panel is it removes the potential for confusion over where services are placed. It provides clarity for everyone early on in the process which is invaluable on large scale developments.”
Find out more about Hebel’s new, innovative Service Panels:
www.hebel.com.au/product/hebel-service-panel/