Project overview
The Emirati School is a school campus in Ajman, UAE. Wrenze Steel designed the steel roofs over the school’s swimming pools and its auditorium.
The aerial render shows a large campus of low buildings arranged around courtyards, with roofed halls among the classroom blocks. The front elevation shows the main entrance under a row of flags.
Our scope
Our scope was the design of the steel roofs for two types of space: the swimming pools and the auditorium. Both are rooms where the users need a large area free of columns, which makes steel the natural choice for the roof.
For each roof we set the structural system and loads, built the analysis model, designed the members and connections, and checked the supports where the steel sits on the building structure below.
The structure
Swimming pool roofs. A pool hall is a hard environment for steel. The air is warm and humid, and it carries chlorine compounds from the water. Condensation can form on cold surfaces. The design has to consider corrosion from the start: a suitable coating system, details without pockets where moisture collects, and members that can be inspected and maintained. Long-span trusses or portal frames are common roof systems for pools, chosen to keep the water area free of columns.
Auditorium roof. An auditorium needs clear sightlines, so internal columns are not acceptable. The roof spans from wall to wall over the seating. On top of its own weight and the roof finishes, an auditorium roof usually carries a suspended ceiling, lighting, acoustic panels and ducts. These loads, and the positions of any rigging points, are agreed with the other designers early.
On both roofs, deflection is checked as well as strength. A long-span roof that sags too much can crack ceilings and finishes or affect drainage. The supports also need care, because the steel roof often sits on a concrete structure, and thermal movement in a long roof must be allowed for at the bearings.
Our article on steel-framed structures explains common framing systems. Read about our structural steel design service, or request a quote for a school or sports roof.
