CASE STUDIES
Big Foot provides flexible support
B ig Foot Systems has supplied non-
penetrative supports for rooftop plant to a shopping centre in West Yorkshire. A
£260m development, the shopping centre totals 5 1,096m2 of retail and leisure space and has s pace for over 80 stores.
D u ring the development, one of the main anchor tenants at the shopping centre requested that the developer provide pa ving slabs for the rooftop so their contractor could position the s tore’s air handling units (AHUs) on them. H owever, the developer’s mechanical
e ngineer understood the risks with the tenant using this method of support on a fragile single ply membraned warm roof. Placing slabs directly on a single ply membrane roof can tear through it, leading to destructive roof leaks and costly damage, and will often invalidate any warranty mentioning longevity of roof finish. This was a concern since the developer owned and maintained the shopping centre roofs.
As a market leader in non-penetrative rooftop load management products, it was requested that Big Foot Systems utilise its extensive t echnical knowledge and experience to provide a d esign that would safely and evenly support the p lant loads without damaging the roof, giving t he developer confidence that the membrane would be protected.
Following Big Foot providing the anchor
tenant with its HD Frames to support all AHUs, t he shell and core fit-out contractor approached B ig Foot Systems to provide fu rther supports for p ackaged plant rooms and AHUs at the shopping centre. Big Foot Systems’ non-penetrative supports were crucial in order to uphold the landlord’s roof warranty.
“The contractor knew that Big Foot Systems’ p roducts would solve the issue of potentially punctu ring the delicate single ply roof while ensu ring the rooftop plant was going to be safe and secure” explains Ashley ten Wolde,
U K Project Team Manager, Big Foot Systems. “Working collaboratively with the plant room a nd AHU manufactu rer, we were able to provide support solutions to safely manage the loads imposed on the shopping centre roof and also g a ve the developer confidence that there would b e no futu re issues with the integrity of the roof.”
Big Foot’s non-penetrative supports were s uccessfully installed at the shopping centre, thus helping to protect the landlord’s roof warranty. However, the supports also offer future benefits to the shopping centre since they can accommodate any planned expansion of the development. The shopping centre has been designed so that if demand was such in the futu re, another floor of stores could be easily added. Big Foot’s non-penetrative design ensu res that in the event of expansion, plant could be lifted and positioned on the new roof with no need to remove concrete upstands or s teel stubs. Therefore Big Foot Systems’ design h as the added bonus of sa ving time and labou r costs on site with the potential to reuse the supports. The modular design means there is also the possibility to extend the frames, making it both versatile and cost effective.
Chillventa
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