Hospitals
retrofitting, non-penetrative systems are quick and easy to install, ensuring project cost and time clarity, negating a need for time consuming and costly penetrations through the roof in the form of poured or pre-cast concrete plinths, steels or fabrications. Non- penetrative support systems thus have the advantage of maintaining the integrity of the roof membrane, therefore avoiding thermal bridging and the potential for moisture ingress, removing worrying risks. For example, Big Foot Systems has developed its Heavy Duty modular framework systems which are ideal for retrofitting heavier plant on flat roofs. The Heavy Duty range is non-penetrative, quick to install, robust and offers an array of solutions to support a variety of plant, such as air handling units and chillers, providing a cost and time effective alternative to on-site concrete constructions. One of the most popular products in the HD range is the Big Foot HD Cube which provides an efficient and robust solution for supporting heavier services on flat roofs, making it ideal for the support of large packaged plant rooms, chillers and large air handling units. These types of non-penetrative support systems, in the form of an individual or group of frameworks with an overall footprint wider than the unit(s) they are supporting, afford greater protection against plant tipping (‘the tipping moment’) in high winds, which is reassuring for healthcare organisations. To determine the correct frame for an installation Big Foot runs calculations that consider the cumulative weight of the supported unit(s) in conjunction with roof capability and whether the installation is wind protected or not. These calculations establish the size of frame required to prevent plant tipping, and the number and size of foot bases in contact with the roof needed to ensure cumulative weight is dispersed evenly over the roof area and is within workable loads of the roof build up (kn/m2). In some projects, limited space, existing upstands and lightweight roofs may all require custom support solutions rather than a standard framework approach. With the aid of its technical surveyors and by using
both ANSYS FEA (Finite Element Analysis) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software, Big Foot can offer healthcare organisations custom made one-off solutions to meet the demanding environment present on some of today’s roofs. The first step is for Big Foot to utilise the
calculations and 3D CAD software to produce a model of the support system. This allows healthcare organisations to easily make small amendments before production to the support structure prior to manufacture. Once manufactured, the support systems are delivered flat packed to site. Quick and simple to install the systems allow plant to be sited on supports in as little as 10 minutes.
As demand for new and retrofitted heavy plant installations on flat roofs continues to spiral upwards, an easily installed system that will not
damage a flat roof is well worthy of consideration. Time is money on site, so an easily installed system is a great benefit in the current climate. Not only do non-penetrative, repeatable support structures eliminate a whole range of problems associated with concrete supports but they also drastically improve day-to-day health and safety, offering peace of mind to healthcare organisations.
Big Foot Systems supplied rooftop custom safe access solutions to a hospital completing the second stage of a chiller replacement project in its cardio unit. In the first stage of the project Big Foot supplied non-pene- trative supports for the replacement chillers, while in the second stage the company provided safe access platforms to a switch room, a boiler room and a lift motor room, as well as an escape ladder and an escape staircase.
www.heatingandventilating.net
May 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
