47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

Figure 3-43:This fire station wasabandoned afterHurricane Charleybecause of soffit failure.(Florida, 2004)Exterior non-load-bearing masonry walls: Particular careshould be given to the design and construction ofexterior non-load-bearing masonry walls. Althoughthese walls are not intended to carry gravity loads,they should be designed to resist the external andinternal loading for components and cladding in order to avoidcollapse. When these types of walls collapse, they represent a severerisk to life because of their great weight (see Figure 3-15).Interior non-load-bearing masonry walls: Special considerationshould also be given to interior non-load-bearing masonry walls.Although these walls are not required by building codes to be designedto resist wind loads, if the exterior glazing is broken, orthe exterior doors are blown away, the interior walls could be subjectedto significant load as the building rapidly becomes fullypressurized. To avoid casualties, it is recommended that interiornon-load-bearing masonry walls adjacent to occupied areas be designedto accommodate loads exerted by a design wind event,using the partially enclosed pressure coefficient (see Figure 3-44).By doing so, wall collapse may be prevented if the building envelopeis breached. This recommendation is applicable to criticalfacilities located in areas with a basic wind speed greater than 1203-58 MAKING CRITICAL FACILITIES SAFE FROM High Wind