For multi-family (2 or 3 stories) wood construction with the units (homes) side by side in a building configuration, how to get the lateral load (From wind) to transfer throughout each unit on exterior walls.

For most cases between units, there is 2" GYP shaft liner with 1" air space on each side before the wood tenant separation walls (continuous from foundation to roof sheathing). This leaves the floor diaphragm of the "End" unit to distribute the lateral loads to the exterior walls. This is fine, but when the exterior wall does not have a continuous plates, due to the shaft liner and air gaps, how is that load to be transferred throughout the rest of the units?


*Consider continuous wall sheathing between units

Most of the time these town-home units do not have much wall to work (smaller widths and windows) with and for higher wind zones it becomes difficult for the end unit to be design to resist all wind forces.