Contractors, Owners and Designers should be aware that the City of Arvada has five different wind zones of varying intensity. This could mean a difference of up to 20-25 pounds per square foot of wind pressure on the components and cladding of roofs. For a project such as solar panel installation this could have significant impact on the cost of panels support framework and the method of fastening this to the roof sub-structure.
As of February, 2011 the published design wind speeds (3-second gust re: 2006 International Building Code) for Arvada, Colorado are as follows:
90 mph east of Sheridan (Exposure B)
100 mph from Sheridan to Wadsworth Blvd (Exposure B)
110 mph from Wadsworth to Indiana (Exposure B)
110 mph West of Indiana (Exposure C)
120 mph West of Highway 93 (Exposure C)
As always, a licensed professional engineer (like the friendly ones at EVstudio) should be contacted regarding translating these design wind speeds into the design wind pressure for your projects specific situation.
