A Unique K-Mart: How Would You Handle?

[x635 4,066]

Every time I drive by this K-Mart, I always note how unique it is. I took advantage of a recent Sunday morning, and the blue laws that make driving on Route 17 in Paramus a pleasure on Sundays, to photograph this building.

I know it's truss construction from the sign, but I'm interested to know about the beams (circled in yellow) that are bolted into concrete piers. This isn't a normal bowstring truss roof, to my knowledge. What type of construction is this? And I imagine you'd vent the roof utilizing a Tower Ladder.

[Tanker 10eng 140]

Not sure, just a guess.... but from jobs I have been on they might be glue lam beams or steel beams in the shape of an arch... ( in this case maybe 2x12's stacked and glued into this arch ). Then either wood rafters or steel web joists run between them.... as long as the anchor systems are structurally sound they should be very strong...

I have noticed on several glue lam jobs, when they are used as exposed posts, they tend to rot out near the steel anchors, so I would check them... over time and upgrades, if they were wood, they might of been wrapped with either siding material or a sheet metal wrap...

can we get more details on this ?

[Beekman 5]

If you think you need to vent the roof, make sure the store is clear of occupants and LET IT BURN. They have insurance. They will build a nicer replacement. Shoot some master streams, protect the exposures and let it go.

[efd184 59]

Do you have more pics of the anchoring system(Bolts) into the concrete? It may be from first glance Steel I-Beams every 20' or so laminated with some sort of exterior sheathing. The trusses are possibly being used between them.

[antiquefirelt 994]

If you think you need to vent the roof, make sure the store is clear of occupants and LET IT BURN. They have insurance. They will build a nicer replacement. Shoot some master streams, protect the exposures and let it go.

I think I agree here. Any heavy smoke condition in a large uncompartmented space like this means something has gone terribly wrong. Why didn't the sprinklers control the fire? Venting the roof will make it burn better, but if you don't intend to put water inside, then it was an unnecessary risk. While this may not be "bowsting" in the sense we normally see the load is carried int he same manner, ie: how the weight is transferred to the ground and as such should be treated as we would conventional bowstring.