Use of Custom Fabricated Cored Slabs for Multi-story Wall Bearing Apartments

Abstract

Interest in multi-story wall bearing structures is increasing in several areas of our country. Apartment type buildings which require many interior partitions and have relatively short spans with light loads seem to be the most adaptable to masonry wall bearing construction. Here the cost is all important with great demand for maximum speed of construction. In northeast Ohio at least, many such projects are owner-built, and everything is sub-contracted. The simplicity of masonry construction seems to be attractive to this type of builder. An analysis of the structural cost of a six-story apartment building in Cleveland, showed wall bearing to be approximately 20% cheaper than frame construction. There is a practical limit to how tall a building can be constructed by this method, but our experience to date has shown that eight to ten stories are feasible using non-reinforced masonry in Ohio which is a non-seismic area. Assuming that wall bearing construction is practical, the simplest and best type of floor system that could be used with the masonry walls would be precast, prestressed concrete slabs. These slabs offer