Ultra-Span helps deliver healthcare facilities across South Africa

When you’re building hospitals and healthcare facilities, just as for any other project, there’s a need to balance safety, ease of construction, longevity and of course, costs. 

Here in South Africa, the construction industry has found a real appetite for MiTek’s Ultra-span system as it meets a lot of the requirements demanded by government regulations, designers and healthcare providers alike.

Ideal for spans of 6m and up to 20m or more, Ultra-span is a pre-fabricated, light gauge steel roof truss system. It’s lightweight, compact, easy to transport, handle and install and is good solution for healthcare facilities where non-combustibility is a vital consideration.

While timber may have been used in the past, the Ultra-Span system offers several benefits that make it a much better choice all round. As well as being fire-proof, the system is more durable, making it a good long-term investment. Its galvanised coating means it’s resistant to fungus and mould, and is fully vermin-proof – making it the more hygienic option.  

Not only is the system lightweight and easy to erect on site, once installed, it needs minimal maintenance, helping to keep costs down once the site is up and running.

When offsite meets onsite

Like other products in MiTek’s range, Ultra-Span is constructed off-site, meaning that when it arrives at the client’s site, it is already cut to size and ready to install. If skilled labour is in short supply, which is often inevitably the case in the more remote locations, we provide a trainer who can work with the local workforce to train them in how to safely and quickly erect the trusses.

Even when workers are unfamiliar with the system, it’s still quick and easy to set up. The lightweight nature of the construction means the trusses are easy to handle, even for novices, and the resulting rapid assembly means the construction team can soon move on to the next stage of the build.

While the Ultra-Span system clearly offers benefits in costs, versatility, ease of handling, speed of assembly, longevity, safety and hygiene, these aren’t the only factors in its favour. Architects like to specify the material as it’s visually appealing, making the buildings more aesthetically pleasing for certain project’s requirements.

A number of hospitals across SA have already specified and installed Ultra-Span, including Mediclinic Vergelegen in Somerset West, Mediclinic Stellenbosch & Paarl in the Western Cape, and Helderberg in Cape Town.

Of course, Ultra-Span isn’t just a great solution for hospitals – it has found applications across a wide building range, from affordable housing units, factories and warehouses, to universities and offices. But there’s no doubt it’s delivering for the healthcare sector in SA, for all the right reasons.

Syndicated content from Leading Architecture & Design

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