St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, Illinois was concerned that only a ladder was being used to reach HVAC units on their roof. This system posed many safety threats, especially during inclement weather. Porta-King was able to negate these concerns by installing a rooftop catwalk in a timely manner while taking into consideration preexisting structures.
Mezzanines as Catwalks
Mezzanines aren’t just for adding more work space or to create reinforcing structures to support machinery. They can also be used as catwalks. Catwalks are used to access spaces above the ground floor, like along a roof connecting buildings together.
Porta-King’s mezzanines can be designed to match your specific design requirement for a unit that will not only be durable, but low-maintenance. All galvanized steel construction with an open bar grate deck surface to ensure it will remain rust-free and stand up to bad weather.
Easy Access to Difficult to Reach Spots
The rooftop catwalk Porta-King installed is 22 feet, 10 inches by 9 feet, and “L” shaped with two sets of stairs. It is also approximately 11 feet 6 inches at its highest point and spans across three different roof elevations.
This rooftop catwalk will be used to access HVAC units on a separate part of the hospital. Now that St. Francis has a rooftop catwalk, employees will be able to safely reach these important points on the roof and accomplish their tasks efficiently.
Accommodating for Pre-Existing Structures & Systems
St. Francis decided upon a prefabricated structure versus a more traditional one because it would be easier to install and less likely to damage their new roof membrane. Porta-King custom designed the rooftop catwalk to utilize the existing steel structures on the roof to support part of the structure.
In doing so, contact with the hospital’s new roof is minimized. One set of stairs was also designed to sit at a 25 degree angle to accommodate for an existing roof vent.
