- Commercial and mixed-use developments
- Retail and large-format facilities
- Public and institutional buildings
- Industrial and logistics infrastructure
Introduction
Incon was engaged to undertake structural assessment and certification for a rooftop solar installation at the Woolworths Coomera West facility located at 1 City Centre Drive, Upper Coomera, Queensland. The project involved evaluating an existing large-format commercial structure to accommodate additional solar infrastructure and associated equipment.
Project
description
The project involved structural review of an existing retail/commercial development forming part of the Coomera City Centre Stage 3.
Key scope elements included:
- Assessment of existing roof framing systems for solar panel installation
- Evaluation of load paths through purlins, rafters, and primary steel members
- Review of existing slab and footing systems to understand global structural behaviour and constraints
- Structural verification for additional loads from:
- Photovoltaic (PV) panels
- Mounting systems
- Ancillary equipment (including inverter systems)
- Coordination with existing as-constructed drawings and documentation
The structure comprised a large footprint commercial facility with reinforced concrete footings, slab-on-ground systems, and steel superstructure, requiring holistic evaluation of both local and global behaviour.
Challenge
The engineering challenges included:
- Retrofitting solar infrastructure onto an existing structure, with limited original design allowances for additional loads
- Complex structural system, including multiple footing types and varying slab conditions across the site
- Ensuring load compatibility across the structural system, including roof framing and supporting elements
- Wind uplift considerations critical to rooftop solar installations in exposed conditions
- Coordination with as-constructed documentation, requiring interpretation of existing structural intent and performance
- Maintaining serviceability performance, particularly for deflection-sensitive roof elements
Solution
We provided a comprehensive and coordinated solution through:
- Detailed structural capacity assessment of roof systems, confirming suitability for PV installation
- Evaluation of load transfer mechanisms from solar systems through to primary structure and foundations
- Verification of existing slab and footing systems, ensuring no adverse impact from redistributed or additional loads
- Assessment of wind actions and uplift forces in accordance with relevant Australian Standards
- Identification of critical zones and constraints, enabling efficient solar layout optimisation
- Delivery of structural certification and calculation packages, supporting compliance and construction
Other Projects
We deliver project success and technical excellence.
We take pride in delivering innovative and practical solutions which adds real value to our clients and the community. We strive for better outcomes that delivers a best possible solution by employing our technical expertise. We believe the real value in good engineering is breaking down a complex problem into a simple solution which underpins our philosophy of ‘do it right – the first time’.
Other Projects
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Other areas of expertise
- Substations and control buildings
- Electrical infrastructure
- Data centres and mission-critical facilities
- Solar and wind energy projects
- Mining and resource infrastructure
- Materials handling systems
- Processing plant facilities
- Manufacturing and industrial assets
- Stormwater and drainage design
- Water-sensitive urban design (WSUD)
- Wastewater and treatment infrastructure
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Geotechnical assessment
Incon helped us on various projects from large scale solar projects to transportable buildings. We get support from Incon and quick turnaround times. They are always willing to walk the extra mile with us.
Tertius Strydom
PSD Energy