Shearwall not over foundation

[KeySol]

I have a question for everyone...

We design custom residential homes which have very unique architecture. I wanted to know if I use a wall as a shearwall and it sits on a floor system below and does not tie into a foundation, do I have any special design considerations to consider?

I know i design the wall sheathing and nailing the same way. And that I still have to have have holdowns if required at each end. But how do I take care of the shear at the bottom of the wall? Do I make sure the beams/girders holding up the wall can handle the axial load? Do I somehow need to get the load into the foundation or out of the beam/girder?

 

[RARWOOD]

What you are describing is a shear wall with a horizontal offset. At the base of your wall you need to transfer the wall base shear and chord forces to the foundation.

The shear force is applied to the floor diaphragm as a concentrated load. The chord forces are applied as gravity loads to the floor system. You can resist the chord forces with a floor girder or with columns directly under the shear wall chords.

See Don Breyer's book "Design of Wood Structures".