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Explore the fundamentals of interior wall construction, from load-bearing structures to material characteristics. Learn about various construction methods, including masonry and pre-fabricated systems, to create visually expressive walls.
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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.
glass block: a 'glass masonry unit'typically 4” thick, and hollow
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 Characterversus 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
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
stiles with raised panel: stiles with flat panel:flat panel with applied molding: beaded board wainscotting
Solarcrete: The wall consists of a core ofexpanded 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
aluminum panel system that can be applied over an existing building wall
the beautiful italian hilltown of san gimignanobuilt in the 1300’s