Optimize Rooftop Solutions from Design to Installation with Unistrut Midwest Prefabrication

Prefabrication is the preferred construction method for those projects looking to deliver faster, improve employee safety, and save money. 

Most catwalk, roofwalk, and access platform projects begin with the Unistrut Midwest team visiting your job site, taking field measurements, and identifying any obstructions relevant to the design or installation. From there, components are assembled offsite and then installed as either completed or nearly completed systems, reducing on-site man hours, project costs, and waste. 

Unistrut channel and components are the ideal material for prefabrication, with modular components and no welding needed. Adjustments during installation, whether due to new obstacles or environmental changes in the field, can be completed quickly and without affecting the installation schedule. 

Prefabrication really shines with rooftop solutions. From catwalks to roofwalks to access platforms and more, prefabrication makes installing a new system quick and efficient. 

Unistrut Catwalk Prefabrication

The repeatable components of a catwalk system make it a perfect candidate for prefabrication. Our team can cut pre-fitted channels and grating to size and prefabricate handrails, all at ergonomically adjustable work stations in our warehouse. Those prepared pieces can be packaged and labeled in kits that allow you to follow step-by-step instructions for easy installation, or you can take prefabrication one step further. As a full service solution partner, the Unistrut Midwest team can not only prefabricate components but deliver and install them as well. 

Using the prefabricated pieces, our team can assemble your catwalk system, deliver it to your site, and complete the install. Installation of a prefabricated catwalk system often takes only a few days, causing minimal disruption to your worksite and reducing the amount of hazardous overhead work on-site. 

By building these systems in our warehouse and delivering them as complete solutions, much of the waste associated with building walkways with stock materials on site is eliminated, lowering the overall cost of your catwalk. 

Unistrut Roofwalk Prefabrication

Roofwalks can be similarly prefabricated, either with repeatable components preassembled and kitted for easy installation, or with the entire custom system delivered ready to install. The Unistrut Midwest team will often prefabricate the grating supports, handrail supports, or stairs on a roofwalk project, but we can also deliver your system so that it can be easily installed by just one or two workers with simple hand tools. 

As an example of a roofwalk prefabrication project, our team worked with a general contractor in Libya who needed a walkway on top of their petroleum facility. This GC was facing a common challenge in the industry; a lack of skilled labor for installation. Alongside that were more unique concerns like the steep pitch of the roof where the solution would be installed, and a coastal environment that demanded corrosion protection. They turned to Unistrut Midwest to tackle these complications and deliver a solution. 

With the roof pitch in mind, the Unistrut Midwest team prefabricated all of the uprights at unique angles to allow for simple installation on the steep roof while creating a level walking surface. All pieces were finished with a triple applied marine coating over hot dipped galvanized channel and fittings to resist corrosion. All components were numbered and tagged to make installation foolproof, even for a team with no roofwalk installation experience. 

After being shipped from Ohio to Libya via a single sea freight container, the system was easily installed by the crew despite their lack of installation experience. Effective roofwalk prefabrication allowed this team to install a custom solution that met all of their demands. 

Unistrut Crossover System Prefabrication

Aside from the time and money savings and increased safety for workers, crossover system prefabrication is especially beneficial for those projects with access restrictions or no lift equipment available. In these tight circumstances, the Unistrut Midwest team will first fully assemble your system in our warehouse, then break it down into components that can fit in your service elevator or through your man door. All parts are clearly tagged for reassembly, meaning installation can be completed by your team or ours, often in a matter of hours. 

For those installs without access restrictions, our team will fully fabricate your crossover or stair system off site before delivering it to your facility ready to be set in place. 

Whether your system arrives fully assembled or requires some installation work on site, your solution can be up and running much more quickly than if it were being built on site. For example, our team worked on a hospitality construction project with a significant number of pipes spanning the roof which made it impossible to safely access any of the rooftop units. The Unistrut Midwest team designed, engineered, and installed rooftop crossovers and access platforms to provide safe access across the entire rooftop. Units for this solution were prefabricated in sections and set in place on the roof by cranes. Installation took less than three hours per unit from ground to finished installation, limiting the amount of time using heavy machinery and navigating public spaces around the installation site. 

Additionally, local city ordinances required all rooftop equipment and piping to be hidden from street view. By working with the Unistrut Midwest team from beginning to end on this installation, the client was able to communicate this need to our team. We built a modular and cost-effective system to support a perforated mesh screen, hiding all mechanical piping and working with the additional rooftop systems. 

In the span of just a few weeks, this project went from having a dangerous rooftop environment to a crossover system that met all specifications, city ordinances, and OSHA requirements. 

Do you have a rooftop project that could benefit from prefabrication? Contact our team to find out how prefabrication can help you save time and money on your installation.