Editing Wall (section)

==Building wall==
{{See also|American historic carpentry}}
The purposes of walls in buildings are to support [[roof]]s, [[floor]]s and [[ceiling]]s; to enclose a space as part of the [[building envelope]] along with a roof to give buildings form; and to provide shelter and security. In addition, the wall may house various types of utilities such as [[electrical wiring]] or [[plumbing]]. Walls may or may not be [[Load-bearing wall|load-bearing]]. Walls are required to conform to the local [[Building code|building]] and/or [[Fire code|fire codes]].

Wall construction falls into two basic categories: ''framed walls'' or ''mass-walls''. In [[Framing (construction)|framed walls]], the load is transferred to the foundation through posts, columns or studs. Framed walls most often have three or more separate components: the structural elements (such as 2×4 studs in a house wall), [[Thermal insulation|insulation]], and finish elements or surfaces (such as [[drywall]] or [[panelling]]). Mass-walls are of a solid material, such as [[masonry]], [[concrete]] including [[slipform stonemasonry]], [[log building]], [[cordwood construction]], [[adobe]], [[rammed earth]], [[Cob (material)|cob]], [[earthbag construction]], [[Bottle wall|bottles]], [[tin can wall|tin cans]], [[straw-bale construction]], or [[Ice palace|ice]].

There are three basic methods through which walls control water intrusion: moisture storage, drained [[Cladding (construction)|cladding]], or face-sealed cladding.<ref>Committee on Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. ''Damp indoor spaces and health''. Institute of Medicine, (U. S.). National Academies Press. Washington, D. C.. 2004. 34-35. Print.</ref> Moisture storage is typical of stone and brick ''mass-wall'' buildings where moisture is absorbed and released by the walls of the structure itself. ''Drained cladding'', also known as ''screened walls,''<ref name="ASTM">Straube, J. F.and Burnett, E. F. P., "Driving Rain and Masonry Veneer". ''Water Leakage through Building Facades, ASTM STP 1314''. R. J. Kudder and J. L. Erdly, Eds. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), 1998. 75. Print.</ref> acknowledges moisture will penetrate the cladding so a ''moisture barrier'' such as [[housewrap]] or [[felt paper]] inside the cladding provides a second line of defense, and sometimes a ''drainage plane'' or ''air gap'' allows a path for the moisture to drain down through and exit the wall. Sometimes [[Ventilation (architecture)|ventilation]] is provided in addition to the drainage plane such as in [[rainscreen]] construction. ''Face-sealed'' cladding, also called ''barrier wall'' or ''perfect barrier'' cladding,<ref name="ASTM" /> relies on maintaining a [[leak]]-free surface of the cladding. Examples of face sealed cladding are the early [[exterior insulation finishing system]]s, structural glazing, metal clad panels, and [[Corrugated galvanised iron|corrugated metal]].

Building walls frequently become works of art, externally and internally, such as when featuring [[mosaic]] work or when [[mural]]s are painted on them; or as design foci when they exhibit [[Surface finish|textures or painted finishes]] for effect.

===Curtain wall===
{{Main|Curtain wall (architecture)}}
[[File:Pest-budai vaktérkép (Baróthy Anna, 2016), Széll Kálmán tér, Budapest.jpg|thumb|Wall art in [[Budapest]]'s [[Széll Kálmán tér|Széll Kálmán Square]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2016/10/szell-kalman-square-budapest-hungary/ |title=Széll Kálmán square, Budapest, Hungary « Landscape Architecture Works |website=Landezine |last=Baróthy |first=Anna |date=2016 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207183939/http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2016/10/szell-kalman-square-budapest-hungary/ |archive-date=2018-02-07 |access-date=2018-02-07}}</ref>]]
[[File:Münster, LVM -- 2017 -- 9343-7.jpg|thumb|Glass [[curtain wall (architecture)|curtain wall]]s on a contemporary German skyscraper]]
In [[architecture]] and [[civil engineering]], curtain wall refers to a building [[facade]] that is not [[load-bearing wall|load-bearing]] but provides decoration, finish, front, face, or historical preservation.

===Precast wall===
[[Precast concrete|Precast walls]] are walls which have been manufactured in a [[factory]] and then shipped to where it is needed, ready to install. Compared to walls made of other materials, such as brick, it is faster to install and may have a lower [[cost]].

===Mullion wall===
{{main|Mullion wall}}
Mullion walls are a structural system that carries the load of the floor slab on [[Prefabrication|prefabricated]] panels around the perimeter.

===Partition wall===
[[File:Glass Partition Wall.jpg|thumb|Glass partition walls]]
A partition wall is a usually thin wall that is used to separate or divide a [[room]], primarily a pre-existing one. Partition walls are usually not [[Load-bearing wall|load-bearing]], and can be constructed out of many materials, including steel panels, bricks, cloth, [[plastic]], [[Drywall|plasterboard]], [[wood]], blocks of [[clay]], [[terracotta]], [[Concrete masonry unit|concrete]], and [[glass]] (such as [[sheet glass]]).

Glass partition walls are a series of individual [[toughened glass]] panels mounted in wood or metal framing. They may be suspended from or slide along a robust [[aluminium]] ceiling track.<ref>{{cite web|title=PARTITION WALL|url=http://niceduniya.blogspot.com/2007/12/partition-wall.html|publisher=Principles of Design|access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref> The system does not require the use of a floor guide, which allows easy operation and an uninterrupted threshold.

A timber partition consists of a wooden framework, supported on the floor or by side walls. Metal [[lath]] and plaster, properly laid, forms a reinforced partition wall. Partition walls constructed from [[fibre cement]] backer board are popular as bases for [[Tile|tiling]] in kitchens or in wet areas like bathrooms. Galvanized sheet fixed to wooden or steel members are mostly adopted in works of temporary character. Plain or reinforced partition walls may also be constructed from concrete, including pre-cast concrete blocks. Metal framed partitioning is also available. This partition consists of track (used primarily at the base and head of the partition) and studs (vertical sections fixed into the track typically spaced at 24", 16", or at 12").

Internal wall partitions, .also known as [[Office partition|office partitioning]], are usually made of [[Drywall|plasterboard]] ([[drywall]]) or varieties of glass. [[Tempered glass|Toughened glass]] is a common option, as [[low-iron glass]] (better known as ''opti-white glass'') increases light and solar heat transmission.

Wall partitions are constructed using beads and tracking that is either hung from the ceiling or fixed into the ground.<ref>{{cite web|title=Partition Walls|url=http://www.ceilingspartitions.co.uk/partitions-walls/partitions/|publisher=Excellence in craftsmanship|access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref> The panels are inserted into the tracking and fixed. Some wall partition variations specify their fire resistance and acoustic performance rating.

;Movable partitions
{{main|Portable partition}}
Movable partitions are walls that open to join two or more rooms into one large floor area. These include:
* Sliding—a series of panels that slide in tracks fixed to the floor and ceiling, similar sliding doors.
* [[Sliding door|Sliding]] and [[Folding door|folding]] doors—similar to sliding folding doors, these are good for smaller spans.
* Folding partition walls–a series of interlocking panels suspended from an overhead track that when extended provide an acoustical separation, and when retracted stack against a wall, ceiling, closet, or ceiling pocket.
* Screens—usually constructed of a metal or [[Timber framing|timber frame]] fixed with [[plywood]] and [[Particle board|chipboard]] and supported with legs for free standing and easy movement.
* [[Pipe and drape]]—fixed or telescopic uprights and horizontals provide a ground supported drape system with removable panels.

===Party wall===
{{main|Party wall}}

Party walls are walls that separate buildings or units within a building. They provide fire resistance and [[Soundproofing|sound resistance]] between occupants in a building. The minimum fire resistance and sound resistance required for the party wall is determined by a building code and may be modified to suit a variety of situations. Ownership of such walls can become a legal issue. It is not a load-bearing wall and may be owned by different people.

===Infill wall===
{{main|Infill wall}}

An infill wall is the supported wall that closes the perimeter of a building constructed with a three-dimensional framework structure.

===Fire wall===
{{main|Firewall (construction)}}
{{distinguish|Firewall (computing)}}

Fire walls resist spread of fire within or between structures to provide [[passive fire protection]]. A delay in the spread of fire gives occupants more time to escape and [[Firefighter|fire fighters]] more time to extinguish the fire. Some fire walls allow fire resistive window assemblies,<ref>{{cite book |title=NFPA 221 Standard for high Challenge Fire Walls, Fire Walls, and Fire Barrier Walls |at=Table 4.9.2 |edition=2021}}</ref> and are made of [[Combustibility and flammability|non-combustible]] material such as concrete, cement block, brick, or fire rated drywall. Wall penetrations are [[Hermetic seal|sealed]] with fire resistive materials. A doorway in a firewall must have a rated [[fire door]]. Fire walls provide varying resistance to the spread of fire, (one to four hours). Firewalls can also act as smoke barriers when constructed vertically from slab to roof deck and horizontally from an exterior wall to exterior wall subdividing a building into sections.

===Shear wall===
{{main|Shear wall}}
Shear walls resist lateral forces such as in an earthquake or severe wind. There are different kinds of shear walls such as the [[steel plate shear wall]].

===Knee wall===
{{main|Knee wall}}
Knee walls are short walls that either support [[Rafter|rafters]] or add height in the top floor rooms of houses. In a {{frac|1|1|2}}-story house, the knee wall supports the ''half story''.

===Cavity wall===
{{main|Cavity wall}}
Cavity walls are walls made with a space between two "skins" to inhibit heat transfer.

===Pony wall===
[[Pony wall]] (or dwarf wall) is a general term for short walls, such as:
* A half wall that only extends partway from floor to ceiling, without supporting anything
* A stem wall—a concrete wall that extends from the foundation slab to the cripple wall or floor joists
* A cripple wall—a framed wall from the stem wall or foundation slab to the floor joists

===Demountable wall===
[[Image:214_King_-_demountable_walls_and_doors_(5277760889).jpg|thumb|Demountable wall and door in an office building]]
[[Demountable|Demountable walls]] fall into 3 different main types:
*Glass walls (unitesed panels or [[butt joint]]),
*Laminated [[particle board]] walls (this may also include other finishes, such as whiteboards, [[cork board]], magnetic, etc., typically all on purpose-made [[wall stud]]s)
*[[Drywall]]

===Solar energy===
{{main|Trombe wall}}
{{See also|Double-skin facade}}
A trombe wall in [[passive solar building design]] acts as a [[heat sink]].