The Challenge
The rooftop units (RTUs) were built close to the roof edge of a sloped commercial rooftop. With the roof layout and slope, a safe environment to conduct maintenance wasn’t available to maintenance workers and contractors.
The Solution
Skyline Group’s solutions were specified due to their ease of installation and capabilities in customizing a solution that best meets the needs of the roof layout.
Keeping Maintenance Team Safe on A Sloped Commercial Roof
Thunderbay Retail Centre
595 West Arthur Street is in Thunder Bay’s central highway commercial neighbourhood on the northeast corner of the signalized intersection of West Arthur Street and Mountdale Avenue. This multi-tenant, L-Shaped retail strip centre is surrounded by national retailers, International Airport, several hotels, a growing residential base and the busiest commercial corridor in Thunder Bay.
The commercial site covers 96,500 square feet and features approximately 250 feet of frontage. The building was built in 1993, consisting of a multi-tenant building with a small two-storey section.
Sloped Commercial Roof
The rooftop units (RTUs) were built close to the roof edge of a sloped commercial rooftop. Not only was the degree of the slope making it very difficult for the maintenance crew to have a safe passage to the HVAC units, but a safe environment to conduct maintenance wasn’t possible. A local contractor invited our team of walkway and guardrail specialists to help create a compliant and safe roof environment.
Roof Walkway Creates A Safe Pathway
The local general contractor working on the mall, and the building owner, selected Skyline Group’s walkway and roof barrier solutions for the following reasons.
- Skyline Group’s consulting expertise and experience in making rooftop access and compliance easy.
- Build quality along with engineered stamped drawings.
During a time when supply challenges are of great concern, we had the stock to deliver a quick and easy turnaround. - Custom capabilities to ensure a safe environment for maintenance staff.
The unit’s modularity drastically reduced installation costs, making it a quick and easy installation. This also made it possible to grow the system over time as the rooftop gets busier with future RTUs. - The walkway and guardrail systems are manufactured in aluminum, facilitating transportation to the roof and the installation process. The lightweight solution also made meeting roof load bearing requirements a breeze.
- The perforated walkway made it safe for rooftop access during the winter months.
