Load bearing wall breaking thermal integrity

johnwstafford

Any suggestions on how to possibly get around the following:

The internal rising walls coming up from the foundation are quinn lite apart from 5 instances where a load bearing wall is required to support RSJs.
The spec of the load bearing walls is to lay blocks (20nm in strength) on the flat (specified by the structural engineer).

After looking at the strength for Quinn lite blocks, the type B7 are 7nm in strength and other similar products are also roughly only 7nm in strength too.

Can anyone think of a way around this - ie: maintain thermal integrity within the rising walls for the load bearing walls?

sydthebeat

did you ask the engineer if a course of B7's is acceptable?

it must be quite a load to take if its 20 N blocks on the flat

ie 20 N blocks are usually used on the ground storey of a 4 storey building.

johnwstafford

"It must be quite a load to take if its 20 N blocks on the flat ie 20 N blocks are usually used on the ground storey of a 4 storey building."
- This is good to know as I haven't a clue about what type of blocks should be used in a particular situation. It's only a 2 story house so it sounds to me that this spec is overkill. Now that I know this, I feel more confident going back to him on this and challenging this spec. Thanks sydthebeat.

sydthebeat

johnwstafford wrote: »

"It must be quite a load to take if its 20 N blocks on the flat ie 20 N blocks are usually used on the ground storey of a 4 storey building."
- This is good to know as I haven't a clue about what type of blocks should be used in a particular situation. It's only a 2 story house so it sounds to me that this spec is overkill. Now that I know this, I feel more confident going back to him on this and challenging this spec. Thanks sydthebeat.

id never go against an engineers spec, after all thats what they are paid to calculate, but put the thermal bridge issue to him/her, ask about a course or two of B7s... and hopefully s/he can come up with a solution.

20N blocks can be quite expensive as well.

sydthebeat

johnwstafford wrote: »

"It must be quite a load to take if its 20 N blocks on the flat ie 20 N blocks are usually used on the ground storey of a 4 storey building."
- This is good to know as I haven't a clue about what type of blocks should be used in a particular situation. It's only a 2 story house so it sounds to me that this spec is overkill. Now that I know this, I feel more confident going back to him on this and challenging this spec. Thanks sydthebeat.

and just to clarify , i never said it was overkill !!

i just said it must be some load to require a whole wall of 20N blocks on the flat.

Strolling Bones

Any bets on 20N being the bearing pad spec .....

Calahonda52

johnwstafford wrote: »

"It must be quite a load to take if its 20 N blocks on the flat ie 20 N blocks are usually used on the ground storey of a 4 storey building."
- This is good to know as I haven't a clue about what type of blocks should be used in a particular situation. It's only a 2 story house so it sounds to me that this spec is overkill. Now that I know this, I feel more confident going back to him on this and challenging this spec. Thanks sydthebeat.

To challenge the spec you first need to understand exactly what the spec is, and why, so as SB has alluded to, is it the bearing pad or how much of the wall needs to be load bearing.
As a matter of interest, what is the second floor construction: hollow core?

How are you maintaining thermal integrity of the inner leaf of the external walls assuming Cavity wall

johnwstafford

Calahonda52 wrote: »

To challenge the spec you first need to understand exactly what the spec is, and why, so as SB has alluded to, is it the bearing pad or how much of the wall needs to be load bearing.
As a matter of interest, what is the second floor construction: hollow core?

How are you maintaining thermal integrity of the inner leaf of the external walls assuming Cavity wall

I quickly googled bearing pad, it's not this. The first floor is using standard timber joists. The cavity is 250mm so the block on the flat is to take two rsj's/lengths of steel (on either end of the block) to cater for the inner and outter leaves. So on the ground floor where a room protrudes out over the standard structure, the load bearing wall is needed here to cater for the inner and outter walls for the first floor.

Calahonda52

johnwstafford wrote: »

I quickly googled bearing pad, it's not this. The first floor is using standard timber joists. The cavity is 250mm so the block on the flat is to take two rsj's/lengths of steel (on either end of the block) to cater for the inner and outter leaves. So on the ground floor where a room protrudes out over the standard structure, the load bearing wall is needed here to cater for the inner and outter walls for the first floor.

So this is not an internal wall as described in your first post, its an external wall that has an ope in it that is carrying the first floor.

BryanF

I'll just remind all posters that, we don't offer structural advice on this forum, thanks