Carbon Fiber Slab Strengthening for Cell Tower Installation on High-Rise Roof

During a major modernization project at a high-rise commercial building, engineers planned the installation of three new cell towers on the rooftop. These towers introduced significant additional dead load to the existing concrete roof slab directly above a critical utility room on the 12th floor.

Because the existing slab did not meet modern strength and deflection requirements, Structural Reinforcement Solutions (SRS) was brought in to provide a non-invasive strengthening method using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Traditional reinforcement would have required demolition and rebuilding; however, a surface-applied CFRP system allowed the team to safely increase slab capacity without disrupting other renovation activities.

United Structural Systems applied SRS-600UNI carbon fiber bonded with SRS-1000 Structural Epoxy Adhesive to the underside of the slab. This upgrade enabled the roof to support the new telecom loads while maintaining full operations, ensuring a fast, safe, code-compliant structural solution.