Walls:

Materials, Location, Load Bearing, Non-Load Bearing

while we are primarily concerned with interior

walls, it is easy to understand some
fundamental aspects of any vertical
construction
 within interior wall construction there is a wide range of
materials and construction techniques used to build walls.

an interior vertical surface can be categorized as:

wall: a general term for one of the sides of a room or a

building, connecting the floor and the ceiling, or roof.

partition: an interior non-load bearing wall

screen or panel: a prefabricated building component that is

typically broad and thin
NOTE: all physical objects must bear their own weight, and
therefore are load bearing, structural elements.
 wall construction
walls are built in a variety of ways, including:
simple materials stacked up, one upon the other, to create a vertical
element/wall. a simple brick wall is an example of this.

a skeletal system, or framework, that becomes the structure of a

wall, typically used as a base for a finished surface of other
materials. wood stud framing is an example of this.

a pre-fabricated system, such as a panel system, that can be

assembled to create both the supporting structure, and the finished,
interior, exterior, or both, surface of a wall.
 walls:
construction vs. finish

the construction of a wall may be a separate and

different matter from the finished surface of a wall.
in an interior environment we see the finished surface of
a wall, or a partition, or a screen.
what we are seeing may, or may not, be a reflection of
how the wall is actually constructed/built.
some materials used to build a wall reflect directly the
way the wall is actually built, while some materials we
see as the finished surface are only that, just a finished,
top layer, surface, that conceals the structure beneath.
 nearly any material can be used to build a vertical
surface, but the characteristics of the materials used will
strongly influence the physical, visual, and emotional
character of that surface.

some materials have powerful physical, visual, and

emotional qualities.
 Materials with strong visual and physical
qualities:

brick, stone, wood, steel, ceramic tile, glass

blocks
any material that is produced as 'units' typically
used in large numbers within one visual field.
 Masonry:
a term used to describe things made from brick, block, or stone

masonry construction often requires the use of

mortar, a cementitious material made from
water, cement powder, and fine aggregates
(typically sand)
As with other construction materials, bricks are
'named' by their orientation/location
 brick construction, and brick walls in particular, are a substantial and
beautiful world of design possibilities.

brick walls are constructed using individual bricks as a construction

unit. by accumulating many individual bricks, used in a variety of
orientations, and in possible color variations, walls of stunning visual
character can be designed.

brick walls have historically been designed and constructed in

particular patterns.

some of these patterns are: english bond, flemish bond, running

bond, stack bond.
 running bond, common bond,
stack bond, english cross bond
 arches
an arch is a structural form
brick wall construction
Concrete block:
a masonry unit material
concrete block (cmu)
concrete block foundation wall construction
 glass block:
a 'glass masonry unit' typically 4 thick, and hollow
glass blocks are hollow, and offer fairly
good insulation
glass blocks are manufactured in a variety of
textures and levels of clarity
solid glass bricks are also manufactured. these are very
different from hollow glass blocks.
 Expressing Material Character
versus concealing character

Materials can be used in ways that

express their fundamental character, or
materials can be used in ways that
conceal their fundamental character.

good designers generally use the specific

qualities of specific materials to make their
work visually expressive.
 fake materials, like a stage set, is an illusion.
used excessively fake materials reduce our ability to understand the
built environment around us.
pre-fabricated, engineered, wall panel systems:
a residential exterior wall, a highway barrier wall
 Concrete:
Cast in Place or
Pre-Cast (in a workshop)

Cast in place concrete

 Pouring Placing Concrete
&
Finishing Floating Concrete
Formwork made of plywood,
braced with 2x4 kickers
Pre-Cast Concrete
 Concrete
this is a concrete table and chair!
SHAWNESSY LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT STATION
Calgary, Alberta
Pre-Cast Concrete Shells
 concrete wall panels:
cast on the ground, tilted up, connected to adjoining panels
 raised wood panels:
wood panels fitted together to cover the entire surface of a wall:
there is a wall structure under these finished panels
cherry raised panels
stiles with raised panel: stiles with flat panel:
flat panel with applied molding:
beaded board wainscotting
Solarcrete: The wall consists of a core of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam
insulation that is surrounded by steel reinforcing bars. This core is then
encased in pneumatically applied fiber reinforced concrete.
 a prefabricated metal wall panel system:
can be applied over a variety of existing wall conditions and materials
 metal panels:
formed using machines that press, bend, perforate
entire buildings can be built using components that make
up a system
panels used in a kit of parts
an aluminum panel product called
alucobond
aluminum panel system that can be applied over an
existing building wall
aluminum panel systems used to make curved form enclosures
the beautiful italian hilltown of san gimignano
built in the 1300s
stones stacked upon stones:
marble blocks on top of bricks.
very simple construction technique that yields
a timeless, enduring, construction
logs can be used whole, to construct walls. wood logs provide
very good insulation from cold weather.
if the logs are not cut very precisely, the spaces between must be filled
with chinking which today is often a synthetic elastic product.
 stone is used today more as a surfacing material than as an actual
construction, load bearing, material. stone can, nevertheless, be used to make
entire walls. here is a dry stone wall made using no mortar.
stone is shaped, or used as found. found stone is called
fieldstone, or rubble. regular, even cut stone is called
ashlar: cut, regular shapes