Roof-Level Fall Protection Systems General Motor Corporation – Renaissance Center
Project Scope Hired to bring the General Motor’s Renaissance Center in compliance with OSHA requirements, Hines turned to NTH expertise for design of fall protection systems for several roofs not originally built to sustain OSHA-required fall arrest forces. In addition to this challenging design component, we were asked to:
Assess the integrity of the structure to resist the associated loads
Perform full-scale load tests to verify capacity
Provide consulting/inspection services necessary during the project’s installation phase
Project Approach To develop a viable design for these complex roof conditions, NTH:
Considered the anticipated use of the various roofs (i.e. podium level skylight roofs, high/ low-rise elevator shaft roofs, hotel lobby/restaurant roofs, and penthouse roofs)
Evaluated the existing conditions
Developed conceptual designs
Load-tested various building components for support
Project Results NTH delivered a creative design to spread the loads without requiring major structural strengthening of the building.
This innovative solution allowed work to continue with minimal interruption to current occupants and provided our client with significant cost savings in the installation phase of the project.
