What Can Make Parapets Vulnerable To Damage?

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What Can Make Parapets Vulnerable To Damage?
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• Forming a low, protective barrier that extends
  out from a wall at a structures edge, like a
  roof, terrace or balcony, parapets are a feature
  of many modern and ancient structures. Where
  parapet roofs are concerned, a low barrier wall
  is constructed out of the roof itself.
• Designed to stop anyone standing behind them from
  falling, parapet roofs have been used throughout
  history as defensive measures, and can be seen on
  forts, towers and castles throughout the world.

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• What are the advantages of parapet roofs?
• While the original purpose of parapet roofs as a
  means of defense against enemies may no longer be
  applicable, they still have many benefits that
  can help to strengthen a building and improve its
  façade, such as the following
• They help improve the stability of a roof
• By preventing something known as wind-uplift
  (when pressure below a roof is higher than the
  pressure of the air above it, caused by strong
  winds), parapet roofs help to create a barrier
  against wind and minimize what can be incredibly
  harmful changes in pressure, to a building.

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• With the capacity to significantly weaken a
  buildings roofing system, such changes in
  pressure caused by high winds can cause a roof to
  collapse over time, if not fortified by a
  parapet.
• They help protect a roof against extreme weather
  conditions
• Other weather conditions than high winds, such as
  thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornados, can cause
  just as much damage to a roof or the façade of a
  building. If a parapet roof has been installed,
  however, it can help to strengthen the barricade
  against debris and other objects that might be
  flying around in extreme weather.

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• They help keep a buildings occupants protected
• Parapet roofs arent just beneficial for
  protecting a building, but are also beneficial
  for protecting anyone who may be on the roof,
  from the risk of falling.
• They offer protection against fire
• Because a parapet extends over the roof plane in
  a parapet roof, fire is prevented from climbing
  the outside of a building and potentially setting
  the membranes of the roof alight.

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• They can be used as a unique and attractive
  design element
• Aside from their many practical advantages,
  parapet roofs can be used to give a building a
  unique design and aesthetic, and can be used by
  architects to create interesting shapes and
  angles, and make a structure appear taller than
  it actually is. Not only that, but a parapet roof
  can be used to hide unsightly equipment on a
  roof, such as HVAC units, and improve the curb
  appeal of a building.
• What can make parapet roofs vulnerable to damage?
• While parapet roofs are advantageous for a whole
  host of reasons, their unique design also makes
  them susceptible to certain challenges, the
  common causes of which are listed below

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• Staining caused by rain
• If a parapet roof has been installed without
  adequate preventative measures to stop rainwater
  from pooling (such as by sloping it inward), the
  pooling and dripping likely to occur, can quickly
  stain the parapet and make it look unsightly and
  unkempt.
• Deterioration caused by rain
• Water on a parapet roof, particularly those with
  brick on edge coping, can cause several problems
  that can be significant if left untreated. Water
  penetration exposes the parapet to the
  freeze-thaw cycle that can be so damaging over
  time, along with other erosive elements that may
  be present in the rainwater.

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• Thermal movement
• Without the masonry to support any structural
  movement, parapet walls may expand and contract
  more than they might usually, which can lead to
  cracks in the material surrounding it.
• With many practical and aesthetic functions,
  parapets can be extremely beneficial to a
  building, but when not constructed as they should
  be, they can present a number of challenges
  needing to be addressed by a masonry professional.

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