Section 1510.4 limits the size of a rooftop cooling tower to 1/3 the supporting roof area. I am working on a Chiller building where there are two floors of chiller equipment, and a cooling tower on the roof. There are no other uses for the building. It seems the 1/3 area limitation should not apply since the entire structure is, essentially, a cooling tower. Thoughts?
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Rooftop Cooling Tower
- Thread starter jduensing
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- cooling tower
Section 1510 deals with rooftop structures, and I would say that this is not so much a rooftop structure, but an integral part of the building. As the whole building is a chiller, there is not a risk associated with use of the roof.
Similar to Section 503.1.1 (below), the code should not be used to prohibit a practical and necessary function of a industrial use.
Similar to Section 503.1.1 (below), the code should not be used to prohibit a practical and necessary function of a industrial use.
503.1.1 Special Industrial Occupancies
Buildings and structures designed to house special industrial processes that require large areas and unusual building heights to accommodate craneways or special machinery and equipment, including, among others, rolling mills; structural metal fabrication shops and foundries; or the production and distribution of electric, gas or steam power, shall be exempt from the building height, number of stories and building area limitations specified in Sections 504 and 506.
Reply much appreciated. This exemption hits our building perfectly. It really isn't a rooftop structure, its the entire building. Thanks.
The 1/3 stipulation also applies to a penthouse. In that case the penthouse at =<1/3 is not considered an additional story. If the penthouse exceeds 1/3 it then becomes a story. As applied to your case, the tower could cause the structure to be classified as a three story building regardless of any exemptions for a special industrial occupancy.