From the old times to the present ones, the main purpose of constructing walls remains the same. A building structure consists of different kinds of walls. A wall is a structural element that divides a space into two spaces while providing safety and shelter. The walls are generally differentiated as outer and inner walls, whereby the inner walls, also known as partitioning walls, help to partition the enclosure into the required number of rooms, while the outer walls give an enclosure to the house for shelter. Lets look at a guide to types of construction walls in Kenya.
Types of construction walls in kenya
The walls used in construction in kenya are generally divided into the following:
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Load-bearing walls
As the name suggests, these walls carry loads imposed on them from beams and slabs above including their own weight to transfer it to the foundation. The entire building is supported by walls instead of columns. They can be either on the outside or inside of the building. these load-bearing walls are built on a strip footing.
- Non-load-bearing walls:
These types of walls do not sustain floor or roof loads above them, therefore do not hold any of the structure’s weight. partitioning walls are the best example of this as they are just built to divide the rooms and have no structural integrity. These walls can be removed or shortened without impacting the structure of the building. They are also known as filling or drop walls and are normally 100mm to 125 mm thick.
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Retaining walls
These walls are built to act as supporting elements to allow the soil to be restrained in a slope that would not usually keep it stable on a steep or vertical slope. The main goal of building it is to hold the soil behind it. Retaining walls are of various types including, gravity, reinforced concrete, brick masonry, and anchored earth retaining walls.
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Cavity walls
A cavity means a gap, therefore cavity walls refer to walls with a hollow space between the two walls. Insulation is installed in the hollow space to keep the interiors of the house at a comfortable temperature and prevent heat and cold from penetrating through the walls.
- Shear walls
A shear wall is a structural member that resists lateral forces. These walls are built to counteract lateral forces caused by wind pressure, earthquakes, or lateral loads. They are typically built around the stairwell or water sump, and concrete or masonry is mostly used to give directional rigidity. This wall is symmetrically placed to minimize the negative twisting effects.
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Brick masonry wall:
A brick masonry wall is formed when bricks are used to build a wall and masonry is used to join the bricks to the walls. The thickness of this type of wall is usually 200mm to 100mm whereby 200mm is adopted for exterior walls and 100mm is adopted for interior walls. The length of this type of wall should not exceed 4 meters without having an RCC column constructed.
These are walls that are built on the top floor of a building to prevent the falling off of things or people from the roof. These walls have a height of 3 feet or approximately 900mm.
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Core Wall
This type of wall, similar to that of a shear wall, serves the purpose of resisting external lateral forces like wind and earthquakes. Its construction starts from the foundation till to the height of the building and functions like a column and shear wall.it is constructed right at the center of the building to resist the torsion effect.
Conclusion
The type of construction wall built in Kenya depends on the type of construction, the soil conditions, the intended use, and the building’s design. Different types of walls used vary widely in their purpose, composition, and function. Ultimately the selection of the appropriate wall type is a critical part of the construction process to ensure the buildings are safe and secure while meeting the needs of the occupants.
