Structural conditioning factors of the installation of rooftop hvac equipment on existing load-bearing masonry buildings: Case study

Abstract

The growing interest in providing adequate Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) conditions for those public buildings in which they were not originally planned frequently leads to the need to install HVAC units of significant dimensions and weights in these buildings. Particularly in buildings located in urban centers, the unavailability of space to place those units has led to their installation in buildings' roofs. From the case study of a remarkable brick masonry building located in the historical city center of Madrid, this article analyzes the structural aspects involved in the implementation of large-size HVAC units on the roof of existing masonry buildings, as well as the structural refurbishment typologies necessary for this purpose. Thus, the study carried out focused, on the one hand, on the analysis of the HVAC new loads' impact on the previous masonry safety conditions, and the possible need to adopt strengthening actions to ensure an adequate future structural behavior, and, on the other hand, it focuses on the analysis of the aspects conditioning the design of the auxiliary support and fixing structure of those HVAC units.