Large Warehouse — Trussed Option
A large warehouse footprint engineered with cold-formed lattice trusses — a lighter portal for a longer clear span.
Project Details
A large-span LGS warehouse using built-up lattice trusses as portal rafters and columns — modelled in 3D, analysed under wind and roof loading, and compared against the panelised scheme for span, weight and member utilisation.
Key Highlights
- Built-up lattice trusses from standard cold-formed sections
- Clear internal span with no intermediate columns
- Full 3D analysis with deflection and utilisation plots for every member
- Wind and roof loads resolved through diagonal-braced bays
- Direct like-for-like comparison with the panelised option
A panelised wall-and-cassette frame is the simplest way to build a small warehouse in light gauge steel, but its clear span is limited by the depth of a roof cassette. Where the brief wants a wider open floor, the alternative is to build the portal itself as a lattice truss.
This study models that option: rafters and columns made up as deep triangulated trusses from paired cold-formed sections, connected at the eaves and ridge, with purlin cassettes spanning between frames. The eaves detail carries the truss depth around the corner so the column and rafter act as one continuous portal.
The frame was analysed as a full 3D model. The deflection and member utilisation plots shown here are the output — colour-graded so the heavily worked members are visible at a glance — alongside the node load diagram used to size the foundations. The result gives the client a costed choice between the two systems.
System Material Specifications
| Structural System | Cold-formed lattice truss portal frames at regular centres |
| Roof | Trussed rafters with purlin cassettes spanning between frames |
| Analysis | 3D finite element model with deflection and utilisation output |
| Bracing | Diagonal strap bracing in end bays and across the roof plane |
| Output | Member schedule, node loads and comparison against the panelised scheme |
Sources & Citations
Case study content is derived from live project build specifications, engineering structural reviews, and developer coordination statements.
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