Rooftop support modernised

The company provided a non-penetrative, prefabricated rooftop support system that is simple, safe and secure as well as being a quick, versatile and economical solution for supporting plant.

The University’s 3500m2 roof was suffering from age-related degradation, with ingress and loss of thermal efficiency. The whole area needed to be reroofed and the mechanical services, from small AHUs and AC equipment to fans and ductwork, replaced. The existing plant was supported by concrete slabs on the roof, which were both heavy and unsuitable for modern roofs, since slabs can easily tear the roof membranes and so cause leaks. 

Big Foot Systems provided a bespoke solution that would support all the plant, whilst being lightweight and non-penetrative. Since fume cupboard extracts were part of the M&E installation another consideration was selecting a support solution which offered stability without requiring rooftop wind protection which would hamper extraction. Offering great stability, Big Foot’s supports ticked all the boxes. 

“It was vital that the new supports were both lightweight and non-penetrative – it wasn’t feasible or correct to reinstate the concrete slabs,” explains Joe Rose, technical marketing manager at Big Foot Systems. “With this in mind, Big Foot Systems was really the only suitable route the contractors could have gone down. We provided both site support and technical input and the job went very smoothly.”

Big Foot Systems’ bespoke supports facilitated the rationalisation of the roof-mounted plant and equipment and future proofed the set-up as the plant is now easier to maintain and the supports are adaptable and can be added to in the future.