Is it necessary to build with steel framing to have large panes (entire walls, really) of glass? Is wood ok?
Obviously, steel construction is MUCH more expensive than wood, but my home has panoramic views and we want to open up entire walls with glass. The original home was built in 1946 with wood, and we would be doing an addition and remodel to add floor space and maximize views. Can this addition be done with wood? Also, I live in the Bay Area, which has extra seismic considerations.
In any wood-framed shear wall (a supporting wall that needs to have lateral strength for wind, seismic etc) a certain percentage of the wall needs to be sheathed. Sheathing acts like cross bracing. The quality of plywood or OSB, its thickness, and the number of nails or staples in it are all calculated to determine whether it has adequate strength to prevent racking. One option if you are close but don’t quite have enough strength is to sheath the inside as well as the outside with plywood. (Drywall adds very little strength to the structure.)
Increasing window size reduces sheathed wall area and reduces lateral strength. Vertical strength is not typically a problem, as wood columns and beams are usually strong enough to transfer roof loads.
Steel can be connected with welds or plates and those connections (moment connections) are strong without needing sheathing or braces to keep them in place.
If, for example, you want wall to wall glass in your living room you may be able to do it with wood construction if that exterior wall continues on either side (ie., there are rooms on both sides of the LR). If the LR wall goes from exterior corner to corner, then you will need steel to prevent lateral forces from causing racking in the wall.
Along with breaking a window seal, or causing operable windows to stick, racking can lead to major failures.
Edit: If you are open to unique options, and the new style fits with your existing home, you could have a timber (or other) frame with bracing (knee braces, cables . . .) that sits inside of your window wall. Open structure can be very appealing and if erected inside of the wall the structural components of the home aren’t competing for space with the enclosure components.
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