Crosswall Construction ~ this is a form of construction where load
bearing walls are placed at right angles to the lateral axis of the
building, the front and rear walls being essentially non-load bearing
cladding. Crosswall construction is suitable for buildings up to 5
storeys high where the floors are similar and where internal
separating or party walls are required such as in blocks of flats or
maisonettes. The intermediate floors span longitudinally between
the crosswalls providing the necessary lateral restraint and if both
walls and floors are of cast in-situ reinforced concrete the series
of `boxes' so formed is sometimes called box frame construction.
Great care must be taken in both design and construction to
ensure that the junctions between the non-load bearing claddings
and the crosswalls are weathertight. If a pitched roof is to be
employed with the ridge parallel to the lateral axis an edge beam
will be required to provide a seating for the trussed or common
rafters and to transmit the roof loads to the crosswalls.Crosswall Construction