Understanding load paths
Where load starts, how it travels to the ground, and what happens when something in the chain is removed.
About this topic
Every structural decision on a house comes back to one question: where does the load go? This topic gives you a clear picture of how a building carries its own weight, its contents, wind and snow down to the foundations, so you can see the consequences of a change before you make it.
What you’ll cover
- The types of load on a house: dead, imposed, wind and snow, in plain terms
- Tracing a load from the roof down through walls, beams and lintels to the foundation
- How to tell, on site, whether a wall is likely to be loadbearing
- What changes when a wall, pier or chimney breast comes out, and what has to replace it
- When temporary support is needed during the work
Draft outline. The full syllabus, and the levels available for this topic, are sent with your course details.
Who it’s for
Builders & contractorsArchitectsProperty investorsSurveyors & PMs
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