Is a wall made of load bearing blocks a shear wall?

Answer 1

Such a wall may, or may not, be a shear wall. The fact that a wall is of block, in and of itself, does not make a wall either a shear wall or a load-bearing one. Wood frame or metal studded walls can be either load-bearing or shear walls or both based on how they are put up. The key to determining whether a wall is, or should be, a shear wall starts from building codes such as the IBC (International Building Code.) Shear walls are designed to take the lateral stress without collapsing. A prime example of such stress is high winds against the sides of a structure. In shear walls, extra bracing is installed to make the wall able to withstand the added anticipated stress. Bracing can take various forms such as plywood sheathing sheets fastened against the studs, installing metal cross-type braces to the unfinished studs, and so forth. If you look at a typical interior studded wall and see no bracing, that tells you that that wall is not a shear wall. Generally under the Codes, all exterior walls should be installed as shear walls. Don't forget, also, that different jurisdictions may require different levels or enhancements of bracing. For example, Florida has higher requirements than other states so to have structures that are better able to withstand hurricane-force wind loads. Earthquake areas also have increased levels of performance required due to the loads that are applied against a structure "laterally" as is the case in any earthquake. Although many people think that structures, bridges, etc. collapse in earthquakes from "vertical" ground movements, that is not the case at all. "Lateral" movements are the issue with quake damage.