Built in 1901, the Former Territorial Court House is a handsome, two-story, wood-frame building, prominently located within the Dawson Historical Complex, a designated National Historic Site, in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Historically associated with the establishment of a federal presence in the Northwest and the assertion of Canadian sovereignty, this rare turn-of-the-century courthouse is one of only two early territorial courts remaining in Western Canada. In 1967, it was acquired by the Canadian Parks Service.
Throughout the years, the building has required many modifications. In 2023, the Parks Service determined a new roof was required and selected a 26-gauge, double-folded mechanical lock standing seam metal roof, which was roll-formed on site. To ensure life safety, the project features S-5! X-Gard 1.0 snow retention and Fallprotec SecuRail Pro fall protection together with S-5-V clamps.
The Challenge
Located 165 miles south of the Arctic Circle, Dawson is subject to considerable snow loads. The courthouse required a snow retention system that could restrain snow loads of 50.5 pounds per square foot — one that would not penetrate the roof and maintain a pleasing aesthetic.
The roofline geometry is uniquely complex, featuring two different slopes, dormers, and a cupola, together with the wide seam spacing of 27.75 inches, which required engineering two rows of snow retention. The slope of the primary roof is 7:12.
In general, a steep-slope roof like this would make it difficult to install snow retention because contractors could not safely walk on the roof without scaffolding, lifts or fall protection.
Given this is a government building and a historical site, there were more stringent requirements for the roof project, including a higher level of engineering, documentation and professionally engineered stamped drawings.
The Solution
The roofing contractor, ARCAN, selected X-Gard 1.0 by S-5! for its compatibility with the project’s standing seam roof. With unprecedented holding strength, X-Gard 1.0 is the strongest one-pipe snow guard system designed for maximum load/span conditions and reduces the risk of rooftop avalanches, preventing property damage and even personal injury.
It is mechanically attached with round-point setscrews, gripping the seam securely without penetration and without damage to the panels’ protective finishes, which was of utmost importance for this heritage building.
ARCAN worked with ATBEST, an exclusive distributor of Fallprotec systems in Canada, to provide a reliable, engineered fall protection system together with a snow retention system incorporating S-5-V clamps designed and engineered for this particular roof profile. Having worked together on many snow retention projects, especially in the Yukon, this was their first project including both snow retention and fall protection.
The Fallprotec Securail Pro is a horizontal safety line that is both rigid and highly versatile. It is lightweight and has a high moment of inertia, which makes it more resistant to bending and allows for large spans between brackets (up to 6 meters) — ideal for securing work sites with low fall clearance. As such, it is recommended for complex structures that have irregular fixing options.
Long-Term Outlook
The Parks Service was able to achieve the quality look it wanted with a snow retention system that maintains the roof integrity, reduces the risk of rooftop avalanches, and provides superior holding strength required for the area’s heavy snowfall. At the same time, S-5-V clamps provided a combined high pull-out and shear strength required for fall protection systems.
“We rely on S-5! snow retention systems for their superior quality and holding strength, which are also required for our fall protection system attachments,” notes Colin Dunn, technical director, ATBEST Inc. “S-5! provides load test data specific to the metal roof profile so we can custom engineer each project based on the allowable loads.”
TEAM
General Contractor: Wildstone Construction Group, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, wildstone.com
Roofing Contractor: ARCAN, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, arcan.nt.ca
Snow Retention and Fall Protection Supplier: ATBEST Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, atbest.ca
MATERIALS
Snow Retention: X-Gard 1.0 and S-5-V clamps, S-5!, s-5.com
Fall Protection: Securail Pro, Fallprotec, fallprotec.com
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