wall
Let an agent describe walls by role (load-bearing or not), construction, performance and position, which decide what may be changed and what rules apply.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Role What the wall does.
Structural role
Load-bearing or not.
Structural role
Whether it carries loads.
- Is this wall load-bearing, and how was that established? provenance
- What support is needed before altering it? action
Position
External, internal, party.
Position
Where the wall sits.
- Is it external, internal or a party wall? definition
- Which legal duties follow from that? boundary
Construction What it is made of.
Materials
Masonry, timber, steel.
Construction
Materials and layers.
- What is the wall made of, layer by layer? definition
- How can things be fixed to it safely? action
Condition
Cracks and damp.
Condition
Defects present.
- Are there cracks, damp or other defects? measurement
- What causes them? definition
Performance Heat, sound and fire.
Thermal
Insulation.
Thermal performance
U-value and insulation.
- What is the U-value of this wall? measurement
- How could it be improved without causing damp? action
Fire and sound
Separation.
Separation performance
Fire resistance and sound insulation.
- What fire resistance and sound insulation does it give? measurement
- Is external cladding compliant? boundary
Works Alterations and permissions.
Approvals
Building control and planning.
Approvals needed
Permissions required.
- Which approvals are needed to alter this wall? boundary
- Who signs off the work? provenance
Neighbours
Party wall notices.
Neighbour notice
Notices to neighbours.
- Must neighbours be notified? boundary
- How are disputes resolved? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Non-load bearing wall, qibla wall, Gebyog, party wall, infill wall, north wall, metal stud wall, load-bearing wall, partition wall, bottle wall
What it is Filled
A vertical building element that encloses or divides space, and may carry loads, resist weather, separate fire compartments and reduce sound.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent describe walls by role (load-bearing or not), construction, performance and position, which decide what may be changed and what rules apply.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Vertical, unlike floors and roofs
- Load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls have different rules
- External walls must resist weather and heat loss
- Party walls carry legal rights and duties
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Remove or cut a wall that may be load-bearing without an engineer's assessment.
- Breach a fire-separating wall without restoring its rating.
- Fit combustible cladding or insulation where the rules forbid it.
Only with a human decision
- Any structural alteration of a wall.
- Building or demolishing a boundary wall shared with neighbours.
May
- Report cracks, damp and damage on walls it is authorized to inspect.
- Record a wall's construction and fire rating from building documents.
Moral aspects Filled
- Walls protect people from fire and weather; cutting corners has cost many lives.
- Shared walls involve neighbours' rights.
Who is affected
- Occupants
- Neighbours
- Firefighters
Owners Filled
Steward
The owner of the building; the building control authority approves structural work.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q391414 - registry parent class
related
- building - building element
- room - rooms are enclosed by walls
- building code - structure, fire, energy
- free-standing wall or fortification - boundary and defensive walls are related
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.wall-q2547819
- Wikidata: Q2547819 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2547819)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- thickness: 75-600 mm - stud partitions thin, solid masonry thick
- thermal transmittance: 0.15-2.0 W/m2K - new external walls low
- sound reduction: 30-60 dB
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Vertical plane dividing or enclosing space
- Thickness and material hint at whether it is load-bearing, but only a survey confirms
- Party walls separate neighbouring properties
- A vertical surface of plaster, brick, stone, timber or cladding, with openings for doors and windows.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- build it, from masonry, concrete, timber or steel studs
- alter or remove it, which may need structural and legal approval
- fix things to it, depending on its construction
- insulate or repair it
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Removing a load-bearing wall without support
- Damp and condensation
- Cracking from movement
- Combustible cladding on external walls
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Building codes on structure, fire and energy performance
- Party wall legislation, such as the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 in England and Wales
- Eurocode 6 masonry design
Context of use required Filled
- Enclosing buildings, dividing rooms, carrying loads and separating properties.
- load-bearing and non-load-bearing
- external, internal, party, retaining
- by construction: masonry, concrete, timber frame, metal stud, infill
- religious and cultural walls such as a qibla wall
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q2547819: wall - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia (de): Wand (Bauteil) - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should wall types be separate entries?
- How should load-bearing status be recorded and verified?
- Is the Wikidata plane for this entry correct, given it sits under media?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2547819/spec.json