Modular Installation
All Durra Panel components can be delivered pre-cut, finished, and ready for installation. Using the Durra Lifting Frame, large prefabricated modules can be assembled at ground level and hoisted into position, eliminating the need for extensive scaffolding and wet trades. Once installed, areas do not need to be revisited, further reducing labour and site complexity.
Faster Installation
The Durra system is engineered for speed. The Durra Lifting Frame enables installation of up to 100 square metres per hour, ensuring projects stay on schedule and within budget. The large modules of Durra Panel and Durra Steel Sections can be assembled at ground level, including gutter systems and safety rails, to further improve efficiency on site.
Improved Safety
With 11% of workplace fatalities linked to falls from heights, reducing time spent in elevated work environments is critical. The Durra Lifting Frame significantly mitigates these risks by moving much of the construction process to ground level, where modules are safely assembled before being lifted into place. Once fixed in position and the lifting frame removed, the ceiling transforms into a safe, trafficable platform for trades to operate from. We offer a range of engineered lifting frames designed to accelerate project timelines, and can also create custom solutions to meet specific project needs. Enquire today to learn more.
Precision and Quality
Prefabricated assembly allows for greater control over quality, ensuring modules are built to specification before reaching final placement. This reduces rework, enhances acoustic and thermal performance, and supports the delivery of complex architectural designs.
The Durra Lifting Frame has been successfully deployed on high-profile projects across Australia, where it has proven to deliver on safety, speed, and technical performance.
A state-of-the-art function and broadcast centre, CENTREPIECE showcases the integration of prefabricated V-shaped ceiling modules assembled at ground level and lifted into position using the Durra Lifting Frame. This approach minimised working-at-height risks while achieving a precision acoustic environment for live events and broadcasting.
On one of the largest and most acoustically demanding sound stage projects in the Southern Hemisphere, the Durra Lifting Frame facilitated the installation of over 30,000m² of Durra Panels. With 120 prefabricated modules hoisted into position, the project achieved world-class acoustic control while sequestering approximately 930 tonnes of CO₂ through Durra’s straw-based panels.
To support safe, efficient, and precise installation, Kane deployed Durra Panel Lifting Frames, enabling the pre-assembly of more than 90% of the roof/ceiling envelope at ground level. In total, 120 Durra Panel lift modules — covering 7,200 square metres — were installed. Once in place, the initial ceiling layer formed a safe, trafficable platform, simplifying the installation of the upper ceiling layer and accelerating interior works by allowing earlier access for follow-on trades. The use of twin lifting frames allowed Kane to install up to eight modules per day — a methodology that optimised crane usage and kept the program firmly on schedule.
Durra Panel, fitted with our Soundsorb absorptive facing, was pre-assembled on the ground and then lifted into place across the 3,716m² of ceiling and upper wall areas using the Durra Lifting Frame. The installation was completed in 40 lifts of 114m² each, delivering the full roof and ceiling system in just seven days, including the roof decking.
For the first convention centre in the world to achieve a 6-Star Green Star rating, the Durra Lifting Frame enabled the installation of over 16,000m² of roofing panels. Large ceiling modules were assembled on the ground and crane-hoisted into place, providing an efficient, safe, and acoustically robust solution adjacent to demanding urban noise sources.
The Durra Lifting Frame is a critical innovation in modular construction methodology. By reducing reliance on high-risk site activities, enabling rapid installation, and ensuring acoustic and thermal precision, it exemplifies the efficiency and safety benefits of the Durra Panel Building System. From large-scale civic centres to world-class sound stages, the Lifting Frame has consistently delivered reliable performance on technically complex and acoustically sensitive projects.
This video demonstrates the setup and operation of the Durra Lifting Frame, a key component in the safe and efficient installation of Durra Panel systems. It highlights the assembly process, safety protocols, and best practices for handling large panel modules, showcasing how the system streamlines on-site installation.
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