Masonry Loadbearing Walls

Masonry load-bearing walls are constructed using brick, stone, or concrete masonry units to support floor and roof structures.

These walls carry their own weight and the dead loads from the roof systems, transferring them to the foundation of the structure.

Masonry load-bearing walls are strong in compression and can be constructed with or without reinforcement.

The working stresses in these walls are kept significantly lower than the ultimate strength of the building units because the mortar between the units has less strength.

For low- and medium-height buildings with large open areas, such as schools, providing masonry load-bearing walls in combination with interior masonry columns is considered ideal.

In such conditions, the load-bearing walls provide an efficient structural frame that also serves as the building's enclosure.

Meanwhile, in framed structures, separate systems have to be provided to fill the space between the load-bearing parts and enclose the interior spaces.

However, for tall buildings, a framed structure is preferred because heavy masonry load-bearing walls require deep and complex foundations.