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I'm hoping to hang two aerial yoga hooks from the ceiling in my apartment (I'm on a middle floor in a ten-story building). I popped out a light fixture to take this picture, and I want to make sure I understand what I'm looking at:

A: Is the support beam holding up the floor above me -- it feels like concrete to the touch.

B: There appear to be two thin boards attached to the bottom of the beam -- what are these for?

C: Is a lightweight steel frame holding up the drywall of my ceiling

D: Is the drywall of my ceiling

E: Is another steel frame, holding up the ceiling framing

Am I correct in thinking that I'd need to mount the hooks into the concrete beams (A)?

I want the hooks to sit flush against the drywall ceiling and there's a gap of about 3 inches between the top of the drywall and the beam: Naively, I'm imagining drilling ~6-inch wedge anchors through the drywall and into the bottom of the beams.

Am I being an idiot and/or overlooking any complicating factors here?

enter image description here

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    "A" looks like drywall.
    – Alaska Man
    Dec 29, 2020 at 21:42
  • interesting -- I was wondering about that. that would mean there's a concrete or steel beam wrapped inside the drywall, right?
    – drew moore
    Dec 29, 2020 at 21:46
  • I do not know of a reason to put drywall on a concrete beam in a place it will not be seen. I assume you will be doing trapeze swinging type activities on the hooks. Perhaps you can get the blueprints for you building so you KNOW how it is constructed.
    – Alaska Man
    Dec 29, 2020 at 21:47
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    I am not suggesting anything, i do not even know that it is a beam, or what it is. It could be a beam and the drywall is a fire-block dictated by code. It is probably best to know what it is before drilling into it. Is there maintenance person you could ask?
    – Alaska Man
    Dec 29, 2020 at 21:51
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    I highly doubt you're supposed to be drilling holes in a structural support beam of a ten story building, nor removing enough of the fire cladding to put a beam clamp. The only thing even worth half considering are those ones at the ceiling with the arrows on them, but I have no idea what those are. - Those down rods for the pipe and the ceiling are in there somehow, except you have no idea what the schedule for anchoring into the floor above is or what it's made out of. That's gonna be a no from me dawg, and there aren't too many people here who do commercial.
    – Mazura
    Dec 29, 2020 at 22:33

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You should not mount anything to the beam (A) by drilling in to it. Under load the bottom is under tension and the width of the hole reduces how much the beam can manage. Think of it as cutting a strand in a rope.

Theoretically you could saddle the beam with a strap, rope, chain, and cut out a section of sheet rock to allow for play, or have a brace made to provide a stiff point at ceiling level. This however is done at the expense of compromising the fire resistance of the beam and ceiling since you would be removing some fire barrier and adding a heat conducting medium saddled around a major structural component. A likely violation of your rental, lease, or association agreement in addition to your local building codes.

Consider having an assembly made that can be assembled below the ceiling. Something like either an A frame or a heavy gauged post mounted to a plate assembly. (Like much of the equipment at a gym)

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    +1 for notifying them of the fire code and building lease or association agreement. If you look at condo agreements or apartment leases, you’ll notice you have control of the space from face of wall to face of wall AND from face of ceiling to top of floor. You do not “own” in a condo, nor have “use” of the structure in a condo or apartment. In addition, drilling into the beam and rupturing the reinforcement steel could have serious consequences in a 10 story building.
    – Lee Sam
    Dec 30, 2020 at 3:49
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I don't actually think you have concrete beams in a 10 story building. Concrete is strong but it is not flexible and if you really had a 10 story tall concrete structure the slightest shake would crack the heck out of it and it would come crashing down. I can't see it meeting quake codes.

I think you have regular steel I beams that are covered in insulation which is probably spray on nasty stuff full of silica and such then covered with drywall to keep the residents from complaining about air quality, etc. After 911 everyone who wasn't previously doing it started to spray on thick layers of fire retardant on their steel frame buildings during construction.

The only anchor point in that you can trust is the floor of the person above you and people take a dim view of drill bits erupting in the middle of their floor and toggle bolts coming up through the holes. All that sheet metal you see is just barely able to hold up your own ceiling.

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  • done right a 10 floor concrete building can survive a significant earthquake. done wrong it can pancake.
    – Jasen
    Dec 30, 2020 at 21:18

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