The revolutionary Fast Trak pre-fabricated bracket solution was specified to significantly speed up installation of electrical containment and pipework services for the refurbished Peter Bilson House, owned by Wolverhampton Council.
Fast Trak, which is manufactured by Gripple, a specialist manufacturer of innovative suspension solutions for building services applications, was selected due to the short project timeframes and the fact that the suspension system can be installed six times faster than other methods. This is possible because Fast Trak is pre-fabricated off-site which simplifies the installation process.
The three-storey building, which had been vacant for some time, was transformed into a residential hub for Wolverhampton Housing & Homeless Service on behalf of the City of Wolverhampton. The work was carried out by main contractor Wates Construction, working with M&E subcontractor Orton Group.
Orton Group’s decision to use Gripple’s Fast Trak system to suspend M&E services provided them with significant labour, material weight and embodied carbon savings over traditional threaded rod and channel support systems.
The four-sided Fast Trak bracket provides a suspension point on every face; ideal for installing combined bracketry and multi-tiered configuration to accommodate additional services.
Andy Lowe, Managing Director of Orton Group, said: “We trialled Fast Trak and it was so easy to install that we decided to use it for this site. We have been very impressed with the speedy installation and the small number of components needed to install the M&E bracketry. Not having to store lots of material on-site was beneficial for us, too, as this project is based in a busy city centre location.”
During the pre-construction stage, Gripple provided a toolbox talk to Orton Group staff on the use of its products and carried out a pull test on-site to verify the suitability of the hollowcore soffit prior to any M&E bracketry being installed.
Gripple was then able to submit a pull test report, alongside the technical submittal to provide Orton Group with key information on the company’s product specifications including load ratings, safety factors and safe working loads.
Gripple Area Sales Manager, Andy Riley, explained the pull-test process: “Our Technical Services team conducted on-site pull tests as Orton Group were first-time users of Fast Trak and we wanted to give their installers full confidence that we could deliver a value-engineered solution that was much less labour intensive than traditional systems. As part of the design process, our in-house team was able to identify areas in which services could be potentially moved so that Orton could utilise single tier Fast Trak brackets to suspend both electrical and pipework services.”
He adds: “Fast Trak is ideal for use when a contractor is looking to make significant savings in time, labour, material weight and embodied carbon when installing their cable management suspension systems.”
Gripple’s Fire Rated Clips were also specified to provide direct fixing of cables to ceilings and walls, because of their 30 minute fire rating. The clips are available in two sizes (single or double) to suit various amounts of cable and are supplied with fire rated concrete screws as standard. These clips provide simplified installation as no cable baskets or trays are required as smaller cables can be secured directly to the soffit.
Gripple’s Fast Trak system and Fire Rated Clip range are third party fire tested in a furnace that follows the BS 476 (ISO 834) fire curve.
The project saw the creation of a new residential development by transforming an existing building for Wolverhampton Housing and Homeless Service, which would be used by the local council for housing 34 vulnerable people and those with a history of sleeping rough. The building comprises of 34 units of emergency and settled accommodation.
About Fast Trak
Fast Trak comprises metal tracks, from 200mm to 1,500mm in length, accompanied by mounting brackets, from 170mm to 1,470mm wide and is designed to suit a wide range of installations from high-rise office blocks, hotels, hospitals, open retail spaces, residential buildings, or transportation hubs.
Fast Trak is extremely versatile as the four-sided bracket provides suspension points on each face. Thanks to its ‘channel style’ return, Fast Trak can be used with standard channel nut fixings along with Gripple’s range of fixings and accessories.
All Fast Trak tracks and brackets are organised in user-friendly packaging, with a handle, making it easy to carry on-site. The system can also be moved onto and around site easily and stacked tidily to reduce storage requirements. Instructions for Fast Trak are included on the packaging, with a QR code link, which removes the need for further paper usage.
Gripple is committed to providing customers with greener solutions that reduce carbon and maximise use of recycled materials. For contractors and developers, use of Fast Trak offers minimal waste due to the fact that 95% of packaging is FSC cardboard, which is recyclable.
For more information about the Fast Trak™ system, click here
For more details about Gripple, click here
