Large span roof structure to loading bay - Emu Plains, Western Sydney

An existing manufacturing company producing lightweight steel sections required a large clear span roof structure over an existing loading bay, with a preference to showcase the structural performance of their own product .

Lightweight roof structures are generally a challenging proposition in respect of making the prefabricated trusses sufficiently robust to enable installation, before they are able to be laterally braced together as a completed roof frame. There was however added complexity with respect to this project in that the central roof support was provided through the extension of an integral storage rack, which was very often subject to uneven loading as stored materials were either removed or new material added from either side of the rack. It was essential to the performance of the roof that none of the variable rack loads were transmitted into the lightweight members. Therefore, a central spine truss was added above the racking, which enabled a flexible connection to be added to the bottom chord of the lightweight roof truss.