Roof structures based on Walraven Maxx MX150 profiles

For a client who is a leading general contractor in the office, commercial and residential construction industry, Walraven has developed special construction solutions for a rooftop installation.

The challenge

The original design for a series of devices on the roof of two office buildings – 2 power generators, 5 chillers, 10 central units, a series of domestic and smoke extraction fans –provided for steel structures to be built on concrete bases. In addition to the foundation of the equipment, the structures were to provide access for servicing and inspection. This solution would have generated a large number of thermal bridges on the concrete slabs. There would also have been potential installation problems resulting from changes to the equipment and inconsistencies in the designs.

Solution

Walraven engineers proposed alternative solutions, which involved constructing the structures using the Walraven RapidStrut® and Walraven Maxx fastening systems , installed non-invasively on the roof insulation on BIS Yeti® feet. In addition to standard solutions for central units and fans, two single structures were also constructed, the largest in the history of the Polish Walraven company:

• a support structure for a 20-tonne power generator, at a height of approximately 2 metres above the roof and installations;
• a joint structure for a pair of 4-tonne chillers, a 1-tonne smoke extraction fan unit with substructures for ventilation intakes located in this area.

Everything was crated, which ensured service access.

These solutions, apart from once again exceeding the known limits of system structures (the previous record weight of a device was 16.5 tonnes!), were the first use of the Walraven Maxx MX150 profile.