Wood Bow String Roof

An elevated and rear view of the building pictured above reveals a bowstring truss.

Wood bow string roof. Decay will likely occur when the wood reaches a moisture content of 20 or higher. Wood rot termites renovations and other circumstances for a longer period of time than. Greg jakubowski notes some of these tragedies and discusses the hazards and characteristics inherent in bowstring truss roof construction. Wood is susceptible to fungal deterioration decay or rot when consistently or repeatedly exposed to moisture.

However if you as a building owner architect engineer or contractor encounter bowstring trusses wood or steel during renovations or alterations please report the address and location to the building official who will notify the fire and rescue department. A number of roof collapses in the chicago area have been associated with the failure of heavy timber bowstring roof trusses that were constructed from the 1920s through the early 1960s in the midwest. The only way to know this would be by placing firefighters in a position to view the roof or preplanning. It s no secret that the bowstring truss roof is a particularly tricky and dangerous construction element that has led to multiple tragedies within the fire service.

Fire officials will preplan the building and be better prepared during an emergency.