Single-Story Buildings
The intent of this discussion is to develop a familiarity with the design of low-rise
buildings.
1. Why single story structures?
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Largest type of structure built.
Includes residential, industrial, and commercial facilities.
2. The following is an explanation of a box-type, bearing/shear wall systems:
System of walls (vertical) and roof
elements(horizontal) that are generally
simply supported and work together to
support both vertical and horizontal
loads.
3.
Another type of common structural building system is a system of internal
moment resisting frames that resist vertical and horizontal forces. These systems
typically are constructed of steel. This concept is also employed for multi-story
buildings.
For Example:
4. Single-story buildings are usually of reinforced masonry wall construction with
hollow CMUs reinforced with steel and grouted with cement. Other types can
include:
 Brick units - clay, where the basic methodology for
analysis and design is almost the same as CMU's except for
dimensions, moisture and temperature considerations.
 Unreinforced units
o Strength dependent solely upon compression
capacity of units.
o Cannot resist tensile forces or bending moments.
o
5. Reinforced masonry wall construction is:
 Long lasting with good weather durability.
 Provides good fire resistance.
 Good sound control.
 Low maintenance.
 Economically competitive.
a. Roof construction:
.
The panelized wood roof systems and metal bar joist “truss” roof
w/metal deck systems are front-runners because they are:
 Light weight
 Economical
 Easy to construct
 Aesthetically pleasing
6.
Typical reinforced masonry wall construction:
7.
Typical panelized roof construction:
Structural-use plywood or OSB sheathing is often used to span over the
stiffeners. It is normally 1/2 in. or 5/8 in. thick with its face grain parallel to
the stiffeners.
Basic Structural System Behavior
1. Box system  code designation as a bearing wall system (also known as
shearwall systems or dual function walls)
 Stable
 Often very symmetrical
 Commonly used in low-rise construction.
 The dual function walls transfer both vertical and horizontal loads to the
ground.
2. Vertical (gravity) loads are transferred to the ground using a post and beam
mechanism.
3. The basic vertical load path is given by the following pictures 1  2  3.
4. Horizontal loads are transferred to the ground through shearwalls.
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The hard problem in structural engineering is to economically design for
lateral loads due to:
o Wind
o Earthquakes
o Blasts
Bearing wall structures make use of specially designed and carefully
connected horizontal diaphragms and vertical shearwalls to ensure lateral
stability, as shown below.