INSTRUCTOR:  Alexander Newman, P.E., F.ASCE 

Course Length: 1.5 Hours

The webinar allows the audience to see this webinar straight from my office, without having to travel. I have attended many ASCE webinars and find that ASCE knows how to put together an effective webinar.  -  Anonymous Attendee 

Purpose and Background

Rooftop-mounted equipment could include such disparate components as HVAC units, antennas, signs, solar panels, satellite dishes, and pipes and conduits of all kinds. Structural supports for rooftop-mounted equipment represent an area of design that involves structural engineers, architects, mechanical or specialized consultants, and equipment manufacturers. When proprietary roof structures are used, such as metal building systems or open-web steel joists, the building component manufacturers must also be involved. All of those parties need to collaborate to make certain that adequate supports are provided. A lack of such collaboration can lead to structural failures, roof leakage or distress, construction claims, and litigation.

This topic is generally absent from the engineering-school curricula, and structural engineers are often left to learn on the job. The purpose of this web seminar is to summarize decades of experience in a concise and practical primer.

This webinar examines the available solutions involved in the design of structural supports for rooftop-mounted equipment. The presentation delves into the practical issues that commonly arise in the design of these structures, examines some design nuances and complexities and shows proven design details. The topics of avoiding failures and placing rooftop-mounted equipment on existing roof structures are also addressed.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Know about the basics of designing structural supports for rooftop-mounted equipment of various kinds
• Become familiar with the differences between three common types of supports

Webinar Benefits

• Examine the common means of supporting rooftop-mounted equipment
• Learn about the design process and the roles of various parties, discuss the allocation of design responsibilities for rooftop-mounted equipment supports
• Explore the typical problems caused by improperly designed equipment supports and how to avoid them
• Find out how to integrate rooftop-mounted equipment into existing buildings
• Discover the pitfalls of supporting rooftop-mounted equipment on proprietary structures, such as metal building systems, open-web steel joists, and wood trusses
• Examine the proven design details for supporting rooftop-mounted equipment

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

Structural and civil engineers seeking to increase their knowledge of designing structural supports for rooftop-mounted equipment will benefit from this webinar.

Webinar Outline

• Introduction to rooftop-mounted equipment 
• Loading imposed on roof by the equipment
• Relevant code loading provisions
• Types of structural supports
  o Frames on legs
  o Curbs
  o Nonpenetrating supports
• Dealing with proprietary roof structures
• How to specify the supports
• Avoiding failures
• Adding rooftop equipment in existing buildings
• Conclusion