Parapet Wind Pressures

Check the rules here. No student posting.

OG, if I'm reading Peter's post correctly, he's graduated and has started working.

Rod Smith, P.E., The artist formerly known as HotRod10

I am currently an EIT working for a private design firm. The few projects I have worked on used balloon framing detailing, so it was quite simple to notice that I needed to apply parapet pressures. This is the first time since I started working that I am exposed to this type of framing detail, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I understand that the kicker will transfer a compression force to the roof framing, but this force depends on the pressure I apply to the parapet.

The building design guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure the pressures on the parapet don't change, regardless of the support conditions.

Rod Smith, P.E., The artist formerly known as HotRod10

There's a great line in an old movie called "Jeremiah Johnson".

A young mountain man was with an older, experienced mountain man and they were hunting elk.
As they walked behind their horses to shield themselves from the elk's view, the younger said to the older, "what if the elk sees our legs"?
To which the older replied angrily, "Elk don't know how many feet a horse has"!

Similar to the parapet question - "wind doesn't know how the parapet if fastened to the roof"!

Whether pinned or fixed, the wind simply comes along and, based on the building and parapet geometry, introduces pressure on the parapet.

No matter how the parapet is connected to the roof, it has had an additional helper (the kicker) to resist the wind load. Depending on the detail of connection, the type can vary, but I rather think you are corrected in thinking pin-pin conditions. Note that the kicker will experience compression, as well as tension, since wind can pressure on either face of the parapet wall.

The parapet must be connected to something, but I don't have exposure to wood structure, so no comment for it.