Wall Bracing Made Easy: An Introduction to APA’s Free Wall Bracing Calculator

Wednesday, January 20 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Location: South 232

Format: Building Knowledge Session 
Level of Content: Novice 

Appropriate for: Remodelers, Designers, Architects, Engineers & Planners, Single Family - All

Track(s): Building Science, Performance & Systems

Speaker(s): Karyn Beebe, APA, San Diego, CA

What It’s About:
Wall bracing is a critical component of a home's structural stability yet it's a common source of confusion and misapplication. To address this, APA - The Engineered Wood Association has created a free online calculator that helps builders apply the bracing requirements of the IRC with ease. This session will provide you with a hands-on demonstration of the tool, including how to quickly set up a new project, see the design flexibility of the calculator and compare it with traditional approaches to wall bracing. You can follow in real-time as presenters show the step-by-step process of how to use the calculator for a common single family design.

What You'll Learn:
Understand wall bracing performance for single family homes. 
Recognize how early wall bracing design provides flexibility for window layouts, wall elevation changes and material efficiency. 
Know when it makes sense to have a designer use prescriptive wall bracing instead of engineering for code compliance and when to use a combination of the two. 
Understand how to use the calculator output to streamline the plan review process and for implementation into the building plans for optimal constructability.

Continuing Education: NAHB - 1.00 CE hour(s), NKBA - 0.1 CEU(s)