A client of ours is considering covering most of his (150,000 sq.ft.) flat warehouse roof with solar collector panels. The building is in Toronto, Canada and the roof live load in this area is for about 20" of snow. The base of the panels are 1'-0 off the roof and they are sloped at 45 degrees...
The perimeter of the roof and the (crossed) expansion joints through the center of the building will be the high points.
There will be a series of roof drains along the valley lines created by lowering the beams or girder trusses (about 6"). The roof membrane will be an EPDM ballasted roof...
What I meant to say was that each quarter will be braced each way around the perimeter of the building. Now by bracing both sides of the interior two long halves (ie. one on each side of the transverse joint) I will effectively have four quarters, each with 3 sides braced. All four quarters...
Thanks to everyone for their advice.
The Tech report was an especially good reference.
I am going ahead on the basis of two (perpendicular) expansion joints, effectively dividing the building into quarters.
I will X-brace the longest direction and try to keep the perpendicular joint free of...
Thank's JAE.
I think I knew that I was going to agree with that point of view... just don't know how to tell the client that I need to introduce X-bracing into the middle of his facility.
I am designing a 500,000 sq.ft., 70'-0 high single storey steel framed 'big-box' warehouse facility. Plan dimensions will be 770'-0 x 650'-0. I intend to provide a roof expansion joint cutting the 770'-0 dimension in half but am wondering about the merit's of a second, perpendicular, expansion...
