Strip centers most often use some variant of ______ truss. They are ______ except at wall ends.

Strip centers most often use some variant of ______ truss. They are ______ except at wall ends.

• A. Open web steel bar truss
• B. Pratt truss
• C. Warren truss
• D. Howe truss

Answer: (A)

Open web steel bar trusses are used in strip-center roofs because their open-web design creates a light yet strong system that can easily accommodate piping, ductwork, and other utilities running through the truss span. The interior of these trusses remains open for service routing, while the ends where the truss bears on wall lines are closed with solid members to provide a solid bearing surface and proper load transfer to the walls. This combination—open web for service access, plus closed ends at walls for bearing—fits strip centers well. Other common truss types are solidly framed and don’t provide the same practical open interior for through-penetrations, so they’re not described as the typical choice for this application.

Open web steel bar trusses are used in strip-center roofs because their open-web design creates a light yet strong system that can easily accommodate piping, ductwork, and other utilities running through the truss span. The interior of these trusses remains open for service routing, while the ends where the truss bears on wall lines are closed with solid members to provide a solid bearing surface and proper load transfer to the walls. This combination—open web for service access, plus closed ends at walls for bearing—fits strip centers well. Other common truss types are solidly framed and don’t provide the same practical open interior for through-penetrations, so they’re not described as the typical choice for this application.