Sheraton Inn Rooftop Boosts Cellular Signal With Help Of GRIP STRUT® Safety Grating

With the recent switch from analog to digital signals, more cellular communication towers are needed to guarantee high quality phone reception. Cellular companies are struggling to keep up with the numbers of towers needed given community resistance and lack of building space.

In the historic city of Lowell, Mass., there are no appropriate places to erect cellular towers, so a Sheraton Inn rooftop was chosen as an antenna site. To complete the antenna arrangement, GRIP STRUT® Safety Grating from GS METALS CORP.. was installed to provide a rooftop walkway system connecting the four corners of the building and guard the cellular cables from wind, water, heat and foot traffic as well as protecting the roof.

A Rooftop Serves as a Tower

"Cellular companies are being forced to use existing buildings so they can place an antenna at a decent height," Lindsay said. "A rooftop works out pretty well."

Building owners are now able to use roof space to generate revenue, and the cellular companies can save time and money associated with building a free-standing cellular tower.

Not only is the concept of cellular antennas on rooftops new, but safety grating walkway systems are also a relatively new addition to these cellular sites. Several rooftop sites have been constructed in the same manner throughout the Boston metropolitan area, including buildings in Quincy and Dedham.

"An arrangement like this does three things," Construction Manager David Ragsdale, of Ericsson, Inc., a prime contractor in the installation of wireless systems, said. "It protects the landlord's rooftop, protects our cables and offers a safe walkway."

Before safety grating walkways were specified as rooftop walkway systems, solid steel covers, which collected extreme heat during sunny weather, shielded the PVC piping that held the cables. Because the solid steel surface was smooth and slippery, it wasn't safe for maintenance personnel. In contrast, GRIP STRUT features a serrated surface that provides slip-resistance in almost every condition, while still protecting the cables and rooftop surface. In addition, its open diamond shape protects against wind lift.

"By using GRIP STRUT, people can walk across the roof in any kind of weather. Here in the northeast, snow and ice make rooftops even more dangerous than they already are," Lindsay said. "It's a non-slip surface that protects cables and lets heat dissipate. Air can actually ventilate around the cables."

On the Sheraton Inn roof, GRIP STRUT planks have superior strength, so other supports are not needed under the grating. This type of GRIP STRUT walkway system covers up to nine cables, each almost two inches in diameter, which run along the length of the roof.

The GRIP STRUT Advantage

GS Metals GRIP STRUT Safety Grating (the original safety grating) features a unique serrated surface providing maximum slip protection under practically all environmental conditions. GRIP STRUT is ideally suited for all walking/working surfaces where mud, ice, snow, grease, oil and detergents create slippery or hazardous conditions. The open design lets liquids pass through to keep the grating surface clear. It is available in a variety of gauges in galvanized steel, aluminum and stainless steel. Configurations include widths from 4 3/4 to 24-inches, lengths up to 24 feet and side channel depths of 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches.

"Solid material coverings can catch the wind and actually lift away from the roof," Ragsdale said. "With GRIP STRUT, the wind can flow through the open grid, and the walkplanks and cables stay secure."

According to Ragsdale, GRIP STRUT is actually lighter than other grating alternatives, making it easy to lift and easy to install.

Hundreds of cellular arrangements like the one located on the Lowell Sheraton Inn are appearing across the country as cellular companies and services realize the benefits of rooftop cellular sites.

"This creates a win-win situation all around," said Lindsay. "The building owners are able to charge 'roof rent,' and the cellular companies get away without the hassle of building permits, variances or complaints from local communities."