SIP Wall Bracing
Walls constructed with SIPs shall be considered fully sheathed walls (i.e., continuous wood structural panel sheathing). Tables 4.4 and 4.4a shall be used for determining the length requirements for braced wall panels (full height braced wall panels). Openings (such as for doors and windows) in SIP walls shall be permitted provided that the wall bracing requirements meet or exceed those specified in Tables 4.4 and 4.4a.
The bracing amounts in Table 4.4a shall be permitted to be multiplied by a factor of 0.9 for walls with a maximum opening height that does not exceed 85 percent of the wall height or a factor of 0.8 for walls with a maximum opening height that does not exceed 67 percent of the wall height. Braced wall panels (i.e., full height SIP) shall begin no more than 12.5 feet (3,810 mm) from each end of a braced wall line. Braced wall panels (i.e., full height SIPs) that are counted as part of a braced wall line shall be in line, except that offsets out-of-plane of up to 4 feet (1,219 mm) shall be permitted provided that the total out-to-out offset dimension in any braced wall line is not more than 8 feet (2,438 mm).
Spacing of braced SIP wall lines shall not exceed 35 feet (10,668 mm) on center along both the length and the width of each story of a building.
Exception: Spacing of braced SIP wall lines not exceeding 50 feet shall be
permitted where:
- The wall bracing provided equals or exceeds the amount of bracing required by Table 4.4 multiplied by a factor equal to the braced wall line spacing divided by 35 feet (10,668 mm), and
- The length-to-width ratio for the floor/wall diaphragm does not exceed 3:1.
