Tempo:
braced wall panels. A braced wall panel is a portion of a wood-frame wall where the bracing, sheathing, cladding or interior finish is designed and installed to provide the required lateral resistance. These requirements are intended to ensure all sides of a building are robust. If for instance, there is a desire to have a large area of windows on one side of a house, strong wall portions are required to compensate for the window openings. Braced wall panels must be located within braced wall bands, which are 1.2 m (4 ft.) wide spaces that extend from one floor to another (Figure 73). There is a limit to the number of stories that can be designed using the prescriptive solutions (braced wall panels), and the requirements dictate the location, configuration, spacing and dimensions for braced wall panels. The number of storeys permitted is reduced if heavy construction materials such as tile roofs or concrete toppings on floors are used.
For basements or crawl spaces, perimeter concrete or masonry walls provide significant lateral resistance as compared with above-ground frame walls. For this reason, interior braced wall bands can be terminated at the floor above the basement or crawl space, provided the remaining braced wall bands are spaced not more than 15 m (49 ft.) on centre or form a perimeter braced wall band. Many traditional house designs have incorporated enclosed porches where the enclosure is light construction and mostly glazed, and modern house designs sometimes incorporate solariums that are constructed outside the main structure of the building. Neither of these designs has exterior wall area that could be constructed as braced wall panels. For this reason, an exception can be made to permit the construction of these spaces provided:
they do not extend too far from the main structure of the building; they do not support a floor; and
73 Braced wall bands and panels
braced wall panels offset a maximum of 1.2 m (4 ft.) braced wall bands continuous from one floor to another the proportional length of braced wall panels in this braced wall band provides the required lateral load resistance
For basements or crawl spaces, perimeter concrete or masonry walls provide significant lateral resistance as compared with above-ground frame walls. For this reason, interior braced wall bands can be terminated at the floor above the basement or crawl space, provided the remaining braced wall bands are spaced not more than 15 m (49 ft.) on centre or form a perimeter braced wall band. Many traditional house designs have incorporated enclosed porches where the enclosure is light construction and mostly glazed, and modern house designs sometimes incorporate solariums that are constructed outside the main structure of the building. Neither of these designs has exterior wall area that could be constructed as braced wall panels. For this reason, an exception can be made to permit the construction of these spaces provided:
they do not extend too far from the main structure of the building; they do not support a floor; and
73 Braced wall bands and panels
braced wall panels offset a maximum of 1.2 m (4 ft.) braced wall bands continuous from one floor to another the proportional length of braced wall panels in this braced wall band provides the required lateral load resistance
©
2026
Lehal.net