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Fully Sheathed Wood Walls PerformanceWalls.org is presented by APA - The Engineered Wood Association, the leading resource for information about engineered wood products, design information and building support. When it comes to experience, our quality, technical and field services personnel have over 1,100 combined years in the industry. Use the left-column menu to review this website for our latest research and resources for building performance walls -- strong, safe, energy efficient, and durable walls and structures. Need an immediate solution? Contact the APA Product Support Help Desk.

Performance Walls News

Meet Code and Energy Requirements with Advanced Framing

APA’s new publication, the Advanced Framing Construction Guide, highlights advanced framing techniques that residential contractors can employ to produce energy-efficient, code-compliant homes with lower material and labor costs than conventionally framed houses.

The 24-page guide details several advanced framing techniques, including 2x6 wood framing spaced 24 inches on center, insulated three-stud corners, two-stud corners with ladder blocking, wall intersection options, single headers, single top plates and eliminating unnecessary materials. Continuous wood structural panel wall sheathing is recommended to provide the structural strength necessary to safely withstand the forces of nature.

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APA and ICC Reach Agreement to Publish 2012 IRC Lateral Bracing Guide

At the request of the International Code Council (ICC), APA has agreed to write a third edition of the Guide to the IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions. The heavily illustrated guide will provide an explanation of the lateral bracing provisions of the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC). Like previous editions in this series, the book will detail correct application of bracing provisions, explore the history and theory behind bracing codes, and provide specific design examples. The Wood Wall Bracing Provisions guide will be published jointly by APA and ICC and is expected to be released in summer 2012.

The current edition of the series, A Guide to the 2009 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions, is now available from the ICC store (Product #7102S09) for $41.00 ($33.00 for ICC members).

APA Issues Construction Recommendations for High Wind Resistance

Two new APA publications feature construction recommendations for high wind resistance Damage observations conducted by APA after the April 16, 2011 tornados in Eastern North Carolina and the powerful EF-4 and EF-5 storms that struck Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 27 found that a lack of attention to detail along the uplift load-path often leads to weakness on the route through which high-wind forces must travel within the framing and into the foundation. Following a review of the findings, the Association has published a set of construction recommendations for improving tornado or hurricane resistance in light-frame wood construction. The damage assessment report, Tornados of the South: Structural Performance of Newly Constructed Homes in North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia, Form SP-1154 and the design recommendations, Building for High Wind Resistance in Light-Frame Wood Construction, Form M310, are both available for free download from APA.

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APA and ICC Team to Offer 2009 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Seminar

The International Code Council (ICC) and APA - The Engineered Wood Association have reached an agreement to jointly present a 2009 IRC Wood Wall Bracing seminar as part of the ICC professional code education program. The seminar covers the fundamentals of lateral loads, the technical basis for the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC) wood frame wall bracing provisions, as well as the bracing provisions themselves.

Code official, design professional and home builder groups and associations can contract for the seminar directly with the ICC. Course registration and information is available at the ICC website or by calling 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 33818. Attendees of the one-day seminar will earn 0.6 ICC CEU (continuing education unit) credits. Customized training options are also available. Read more.

Sheathing for Profits

Three APA publications describe economical systems that help builders achieve higher performance with plywood or OSB wall sheathing. These brochures are available as free downloadable PDFs from the APA Publications Library:

Build Profit with Wood Walls, Form J435, provides tips and resources on how to meet design, production, code, safety, energy and green building challenges while building residential construction profitably by fully sheathing with wood structural panels.
Brace Walls with Wood, Form G440, provides guidance on how builders can use wood structural panels to meet code and maximize design flexibility.
Build Energy Efficient Walls, Form J440, provides the five basic steps to constructing energy-saving wood wall systems that meet code, endure nature’s forces and save homeowners money.

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About APA

For more than seventy years, APA - The Engineered Wood Association has focused on helping the industry create structural wood products of exceptional strength, versatility and reliability. Combining the research efforts of scientists at APA’s 42,000-square-foot Research Center with the knowledge gained from decades of field work, and cooperation with our member manufacturers, APA promotes new solutions and improved processes that benefit the entire industry. For more information:

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