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Wall
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Awallisastructurethatdefinesanarea,carriesaload,
orprovidesshelterorsecurity.Therearemanykindsof
walls:
Defensivewallsinfortification
Wallsinbuildingsthatformafundamentalpart
ofthesuperstructureorseparateinteriorsections,
sometimesforfiresafety
Retainingwalls,whichholdbackearth,stone,or
water
Wallsthatprotectfromoceans(seawallsorrivers
levees)
Permanent,solidfences
Borderbarriersbetweencountries(sometimes)

Decorativeexteriorwall,MexicoCity,Mexico,
2008.

Contents
1Etymology
2Defensivewall
3Buildingwall
3.1Curtainwall
3.2Mullionwall
3.3Partitionwall
3.4Partywall
3.5Infillwall
3.6Firewall
3.7Shearwall
3.8Kneewall
3.9Cavitywall
3.10Ponywall
3.11Movablepartitions
3.12Solarenergy
4Shipbuilding
5Boundarywall
6Borderwall
7Retainingwall
8Sharedwall
9Portablewall
10Temporarywall
11Wallsinpopularculture
12Seealso
13References
14Externallinks
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Etymology
WallcomesfromLatinvallummeaning"...anearthenwallorrampartsetwithpalisades,aroworlineof
stakes,awall,arampart,fortification..."whiletheLatinwordmurusmeansadefensivestonewall[1]
Englishusesthesamewordtomeananexternalwallandtheinternalsidesofaroom,butThisisnot
universal.Manylanguagesdistinguishbetweenthetwo.InGerman,someofthisdistinctioncanbeseen
betweenWandandMauer,inSpanishbetweenparedandmuro.

Defensivewall
Thewordwalloriginallyreferredtodefensivewallsandramparts.

Buildingwall
Buildingwallspurposesaretosupportroofs,floorsandceilings,encloseaspaceaspartofthebuilding
envelope,alongwitharooftogivebuildingsform,andtoprovideshelterandsecurity.Inaddition,thewall
mayhousevarioustypesofutilitiessuchaselectricalwiringorplumbing.Wallconstructionfallsintotwo
basiccategories:framedwallsormasswalls.Inframedwallstheloadistransferredtothefoundation
throughposts,columnsorstuds.Framedwallsmostoftenhavethreeormoreseparatecomponents:the
structuralelements(suchas24studsinahousewall),insulation,andfinishelementsorsurfaces(suchas
drywallorpanelling).Masswallsareofasolidmaterialincludingmasonry,concreteincludingslipform
stonemasonry,logbuilding,cordwoodconstruction,adobe,rammedearth,cob,earthbagconstruction,
bottles,tincans,strawbaleconstruction,andice.
Therearethreebasicmethodswallscontrolwaterintrusion:moisturestorage,drainedcladding,orface
sealedcladding.[2]Moisturestorageistypicalofstoneandbrickmasswallbuildingswheremoistureis
absorbedandreleasedbythewallsofthestructureitself.Drainedcladdingalsoknownasscreenedwalls[3]
acknowledgesmoisturewillpenetratethecladdingsoamoisturebarriersuchashousewraporfeltpaper
insidethecladdingprovidesasecondlineofdefenseandsometimesadrainageplaneorairgapallowsa
pathforthemoisturetodraindownthroughandexitthewall.Sometimesventilationisprovidedinaddition
tothedrainageplanesuchasinrainscreenconstruction.Facesealedalsocalledbarrierwallorperfect
barrier[3]claddingreliesonmaintainingaleakfreesurfaceofthecladding.Examplesoffacesealed
claddingaretheearlyexteriorinsulationfinishingsystems,structuralglazing,metalcladpanels,and
corrugatedmetal.
Buildingwallsfrequentlybecomeworksofart,externallyandinternally,suchaswhenfeaturingmosaic
workorwhenmuralsarepaintedonthemorasdesignfociwhentheyexhibittexturesorpaintedfinishes
foreffect.

Curtainwall
Inarchitectureandcivilengineering,curtainwallreferstoabuildingfacadethatisnotloadbearingbut
providesdecoration,finish,front,face,orhistoricalpreservation.

Mullionwall
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Mullionwallsareastructuralsystemthatcarriestheloadofthefloorslabonprefabricatedpanelsaround
theperimeter.

Partitionwall
Apartitionwallisawallthatseparatesrooms,ordividesaroom.
Partitionwallsareusuallynotloadbearing.Partitionwallsare
constructedofmanymaterials,includingsteelpanels,bricks,blocks
ofclay,terracotta,concrete,orglassblocks.
Somepartitionwallsaremadeofsheetglass.Glasspartitionwalls
areaseriesofindividualtoughenedglasspanelsmountedinwood
ormetalframing.Theymaybesuspendedfromorslidealonga
robustaluminiumceilingtrack.[4]Thesystemdoesnotrequirethe
useofafloorguide,whichallowseasyoperationandan
uninterruptedthreshold.

GlassPartitionWall

Atimberpartitionconsistsofawoodenframework,supportedonthefloororbysidewalls.Metallathand
plaster,properlylaid,formsareinforcedpartitionwall.Partitionwallsconstructedfromfibrecement
sheetingarepopularasbasesfortilinginkitchensorinwetareaslikebathrooms.Galvanizedsheetfixedto
woodenorsteelmembersaremostlyadoptedinworksoftemporarycharacter.Plainorreinforcedpartition
wallsmayalsobeconstructedfromconcrete,includingprecastconcreteblocks.Metalframedpartitioning
isalsoavailable.Thispartitionconsistsoftrack(usedprimarilyatthebaseandheadofthepartition)and
stud(verticalsectionsfixedat600mmcentres).
Internalwallpartitions,alsoknownasofficepartitioning,isusuallymadeofplasterboard(drywall)or
varietiesofglass.Toughenedglassisacommonoption,asislowironglass(betterknownasoptiwhite
glass,whichincreaseslightandsolarheattransmission.
Wallpartitionsareconstructedusingbeadsandtrackingthatiseitherhungfromtheceilingorfixedintothe
ground.[5]Thepanelsareinsertedintothetrackingandfixed.Somewallpartitionvariationsspecifytheir
fireresistanceandacousticperformancerating.

Partywall
Partywallsarewallsthatseparatebuildingsorunitswithinabuilding.Theymayprovidesoundresistance
orserveasafirewall.Ownershipofsuchwallscanbecomealegalissue.

Infillwall
Aninfillwallisthesupportedwallthatclosestheperimeterofabuildingconstructedwithathree
dimensionalframeworkstructure.

Firewall

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Firewallsarespecialwallsthatresistspreadoffirewithinorsometimesbetweenstructurestoprovide
passivefireprotection.Adelayinthespreadoffiregivesoccupantsmoretimetoescapeandfirefighters
moretimetoextinguishthefire.Suchwallshavenowindows,andaremadeofnoncombustiblematerial
suchasconcrete,cementblock,brick,orfirerateddrywallandhavewallpenetrationssealedwithspecial
materials.Adoorwayinafirewallmusthavearatedfiredoor.Firewallsprovidevaryingresistancetothe
spreadoffire,someintendedtolastonetofourhours.Firewalls,generally,arealsosmokebarriers.

Shearwall
Shearwallsresistlateralforcessuchasinanearthquakeorseverewind.Therearedifferentkindsofshear
wallssuchasthesteelplateshearwall.

Kneewall
Kneewallsareshortwallsthateithersupportraftersoraddheightinthetopfloorroomsofhouses.Ina
oneandonehalfstoryhouse,thekneewallsupportsthehalfstory.

Cavitywall
Cavitywallsarewallsmadewithaspacebetweenthe"skins"toallowdrainage.

Ponywall
Ponywallisageneraltermforshortwalls,suchas:
Ahalfwallthatonlyextendspartwayfromfloortoceiling,withoutsupportinganything
Astemwallaconcretewallthatextendsfromthefoundationslabtothecripplewallorfloorjoists
Acripplewallaframedwallfromthestemwallorfoundationslabtothefloorjoists
Akneewall,whichextendsfromthefloortoacountertop,rafter,orhandrail

Movablepartitions
Movablepartitionsarewallsthatopentojointwoormoreroomsintoonelargefloorarea.Theseinclude:
Slidingaseriesofpanelsthatslideintracksfixedtothefloorandceiling,similarslidingdoors
Slidingandfoldingsimilartoslidingfoldingdoors,thesearegoodforsmallerspans
Screensusuallyconstructedofametalortimberframefixedwithplywoodandchipboardand
supportedwithlegsforfreestandingandeasymovement
Pipeanddrapefixedortelescopicuprightsandhorizontalsprovideagroundsupporteddrape
systemwithremovablepanels

Solarenergy
Atrombewallinpassivesolarbuildingdesignactsasaheatsink.

Shipbuilding
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Onaship,awallthatseparatesmajorcompartmentsiscalledabulkhead.Athinnerwallbetweencabinsis
calledapartition.

Boundarywall
Boundarywallsincludeprivacywalls,boundarymarkingwallson
property,andtownwalls.Theseintergradeintofences.The
conventionaldifferentiationisthatafenceisofminimalthickness
andoftenopeninnature,whileawallisusuallymorethana
nominalthicknessandiscompletelyclosed,oropaque.Moretothe
point,anexteriorstructureofwoodorwireisgenerallycalleda
fencebutoneofmasonryisawall.Acommontermforbothis
barrier,whichisconvenientforstructuresthatarepartlywalland
partlyfenceforexampletheBerlinWall.Anotherkindofwall
fenceambiguityisthehahawhichissetbelowgroundlevelto
protectaview,yetactsasabarrier(tocattle,forexample).
Beforetheinventionof
StonewallofanEnglishbarn
artillery,manyoftheworld's
citiesandtowns,particularly
inEuropeandAsia,haddefensiveorprotectivewalls(alsocalled
townwallsorcitywalls).Infact,theEnglishword"wall"derives
fromLatinvallumatypeoffortificationwall.Thesewallsareno
longerrelevantfordefense,sosuchcitieshavegrownbeyondtheir
walls,andmanyfortificationwalls,orportionsofthem,havebeen
torndownforexampleinRome,ItalyandBeijing,China.
Examplesofprotectivewallsonamuchlargerscaleincludethe
GreatWallofChinaandHadrian'sWall.

Borderwall
Somewallsformallymarktheborderbetweenonepopulationand
another.Aborderwallisconstructedtolimitthemovementof
AnoldItalianwallsurroundedby
peopleacrossacertainlineorborder.Thesestructuresvaryin
flowers
placementwithregardtointernationalbordersandtopography.The
mostfamousexampleofborderbarrierinhistoryisprobablythe
GreatWallofChina,aseriesofwallsthatseparatedtheEmpireofChinafromnomadicpowerstothe
north.ThemostprominentrecentexampleistheBerlinWall,whichsurroundedtheenclaveofWestBerlin
andseparateditfromEastGermanyformostoftheColdWarera.

Retainingwall
Inareasofrockysoilsaroundtheworld,farmershaveoftenpulledlargequantitiesofstoneoutoftheir
fieldstomakefarmingeasierandhavestackedthosestonestomakewallsthateithermarkthefield
boundary,orthepropertyboundary,orboth.

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Retainingwallsresistmovementofearth,stone,orwater.Theymaybepartofabuildingorexternal.The
groundsurfaceorwaterononesideofaretainingwallistypicallyhigherthanontheotherside.Adikeisa
retainingwall,asisalevee,aloadbearingfoundationwall,andaseawall.

Sharedwall
Speciallawsoftengovernwallsthatneighbouringpropertiesshare.
Typically,oneneighbourcannotalterthecommonwallifitislikely
toaffectthebuildingorpropertyontheotherside.Awallmayalso
separateapartmentorhotelroomsfromeachother.Eachwallhas
twosidesandbreakingawallononesidewillbreakthewallonthe
otherside.

Portablewall

DrystonewallGrendon

Portablewalls,suchasroomdividersorportablepartitionsdividea
largeropenspaceintosmallerrooms.Portablewallscanbestatic,
suchascubiclewalls,orcanbewallpanelsmountedoncastersto
provideaneasywaytoreconfigureassemblyspace.Theyareoften
foundinsideschools,churches,conventioncenters,hotels,and
corporatefacilities.

Temporarywall
Atemporarywallisconstructedforeasyremovalordemolition.A
typicaltemporarywallcanbeconstructedwith12"(6mm)to58"
(16mm)sheetrock(plasterboard),metal23s(approx.57cm),
or24s,ortaped,plasteredandcompounded.Mostinstallation
companiesuselattice(stripsofwood)tocoverthejointsofthe
temporarywallwiththeceiling.Thesearesometimeknownas
pressurizedwallsortemporarypressurizedwalls.

Wallsinpopularculture

AshlarwallIncawallatMachu
Picchu,Peru

Wallsareoftenseeninmanypopularcultures,representingbarrierspreventingprogressorentry.For
example,theprogressive/psychedelicrockbandPinkFloydusedametaphoricalwalltorepresentthe
isolationfeltbytheprotagonistoftheir1979conceptalbumTheWall.AmericanpoetlaureateRobertFrost
describesapointlessrockwallasametaphorforthemyopiaofthecultureboundinhispoem"Mending
Wall",publishedin1914.Inareallifeexample,theBerlinWall,constructedbytheSovietUniontodivide
BerlinintoNATOandWarsawPactzonesofoccupation,becameaworldwidesymbolofoppressionand
isolation.
Insomecases,awallmayrefertoanindividual'sdebilitatingmentalorphysicalcondition,seenasan
impassablebarrier.

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Anothercommonusageisasacommunalsurfacetowriteupon.For
instancethesocialnetworkingsiteFacebookpreviouslyusedan
electronic"wall"tologthescrawlsoffriendsuntilitwasreplaced
bythe"timeline"feature.

Seealso
Ashlar
Climbingwall
Drystonewall
Fabricstructure
HyRib
Listofwalls
Loadbearingwall
Sleeperwall
Stonewall
Tensilestructure
Thinshellstructure
Wallpaper

Viewofthewesternenclosingwallof
theGreatMosqueofKairouan(also
calledtheMosqueofUqba)inthe
cityofKairouaninTunisia.

References
1. Wall.Whitney,WilliamDwight,andBenjaminE.Smith.TheCenturydictionaryandcyclopedia,vol.8.New
York:CenturyCo.,1901.6,809.Print.
2. CommitteeonDampIndoorSpacesandHealth,BoardonHealthPromotionandDiseasePrevention.Damp
indoorspacesandhealth.InstituteofMedicine,(U.S.).NationalAcademiesPress.Washington,D.C..2004.
3435.Print.
3. Straube,J.F.andBurnett,E.F.P.,"DrivingRainandMasonryVeneer".WaterLeakagethroughBuilding
Facades,ASTMSTP1314.R.J.KudderandJ.L.Erdly,Eds.AmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials
(ASTM),1998.75.Print.
4. "PARTITIONWALL"(http://niceduniya.blogspot.com/2007/12/partitionwall.html).PrinciplesofDesign.
Retrieved17July2013.
5. "PartitionWalls"(http://www.ceilingspartitions.co.uk/partitionswalls/partitions/).Excellenceincraftsmanship.
Retrieved17July2013.

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