Single load-bearing panel wall system and method

Abstract

A prefabricated building structure system may include a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion defined by at least one primary panel configured to be secured on edge to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure. A prefabricated building structure system may also include a secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion configured to be installed in a spaced substantially parallel relationship to the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion, the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion defined by at least one secondary panel configured to be secured on edge.

Description

SINGLE LOAD-BEARING PANEL WALL SYSTEM AND METHODCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This international application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No.: 63 / 761787 filed February 21, 2025; the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes.BACKGROUND

[0002] Because of the high cost of constructing conventional wood frame buildings of small and medium size and steel and concrete buildings of large size, there have been many attempts to manufacture prefabricated structures. Commonly such structures include some type of wall modules which can be manufactured in a plane and joined together at construction sites. Construction with prefabricated building panel structures can significantly save on-site building time. Building structural panels have various applications, such as exterior and interior walls, partitions, floors, roofs, and foundation systems.

[0003] Before any interior finish work or installation of electrical outlets and switches can begin on anew construction project, the house or building must reach the point called "dry-in." When a structure's dry -in is completed, it can effectively keep the elements out to ensure that weather-sensitive materials aren't damaged by rain, wind, snow, or other factors. This also helps decrease project delays on interior work due to inclement weather.

[0004] The term dry-in is significant in the construction industry because it establishes the point in the construction process where the rough exterior work has been completed: windows, doors, roofing underlayment and a wall weather-resistant barrier have all been installed. In some parts of the building jurisdictions, an inspector will check to ensure that no shortcuts have been taken in the process. Once the building passes the dry-in inspection, construction work can continue with the assurance that everything inside the building will stay dry. Thus, the contractor can turn their attention to the next stage in the process - roughing in the electrical, plumbing and mechanical components and installing insulation.

[0005] Improved systems and methods disclosed herein related to wall assemblies using prefabricated building panel structures and associated components to support the construction dry -in process as well as other aspects of framing, building, and remodeling.SUMMARY

[0006] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a prefabricated building structure system, including: a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion defined by at least one primary panel configured to be secured on edge to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure; and a secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion configured to be installed in a spaced substantially parallel relationship to the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion, the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion defined by at least one secondary panel configured to be secured on edge.

[0007] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a prefabricated wall assembly panel for a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion, including: a body made from a matenal(s) and having a thickness such that when at least one prefabricated wall assembly panel is installed on edge to define a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion of a wall, the at least one prefabricated wall assembly panel supports all required loads of a portion of a building structure.

[0008] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method of assembling a wall using prefabricated structural panels, including: constructing a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion including securing at least one primary panel on edge that is configured to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure; installing at least one of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and installation (MEPI) in an exposed wall cavity defined by the at least one primary panel; constructing a secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion including securing at least one secondary panels on edge relative to the first portion of the wall.

[0009] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a wall assembly portion for a building structure system, including: a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion defined by at least one primary panel configured to be secured on edge to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure; and a secondary7wall assembly portion configured to be installed in a spaced substantially parallel relationship to the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion, the secondary wall assembly portion defined by at least one secondary panel configured to be secured on edge; and a reinforcingassembly having a plurality of 2X4 or 2x6 vertical blocking members spaced at least twenty four inches on center and configured for attachment to the at least one secondary panel.

[0010] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a wall structural system having all required chord and collector loads of a system, including: a primary panel; and a top plate member assembly having at least first and second top plate members, where the primary panel is attached to both the least first and second top plate members, and the attachment between the least first and second top plate members and the primary panel is used as a shear connection between the least first and second top plate members and the primary panel to transfer tension and compression forces from the top plate member to the primary panel.

[0011] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method of assembling a wall assembly portion, including: constructing a primary prefabricated building wall portion including securing at least one primary panel on edge that is configured to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure: defining a reinforcing assembly having a plurality of 2X4 or 2x6 vertical blocking members secured to the at least one primary panel and spaced at least twenty four inches on center; installing at least one of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and installation (MEPI) in an exposed wall cavity defined by the at least one primary panel; and constructing a secondary building wall portion including securing at least one secondary panel on edge relative to the primary prefabricated building wall portion and attaching the at least one secondary panel to the reinforcing assembly.

[0012] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 is an inside-facing isometric grayscale view of an exemplary wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure, wherein the wall includes a primary, load-bearing wall portion and a secondary non-load-bearing wall portion.

[0015] FIG. 2 is an inside-facing isometric view of an exemplary wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the wall includes a primary, load-bearing wall portion and a secondary non-load-bearing wall portion.

[0016] FIGS. 3A and 3B are inside-facing isometric views of the exemplary wall of FIG. 2, wherein the secondary non-load-bearing wall portion has been removed, revealing the wall cavity.

[0017] FIG. 4 is an outside-facing isometric view of the exemplary wall of FIG. 2

[0018] FIG. 5A shows a side view of an exemplar}' wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a first exemplary blocking.

[0019] FIG. 5B shows a side view of an exemplary wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a second exemplar}' blocking.

[0020] FIG. 5C shows a side view of an exemplary wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a third exemplary blocking.

[0021] FIG. 5D shows a side view of an exemplar}' wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a fourth exemplary blocking.

[0022] FIG. 6A shows a side view of an exemplar}’ wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a fifth exemplary blocking.

[0023] FIG. 6B shows a side view of an exemplary wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a sixth exemplary blocking.

[0024] FIG. 6C shows a side view of an exemplar}’ wall constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure having a seventh exemplar}' blocking.

[0025] FIG. 6D shows a cross-sectional view of the blocking shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C.

[0026] FIG. 6E shows a cross-sectional view of the blocking shown in FIG. 6A.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a first wall secured above a second wall, wherein the first and second walls are formed in accordance with aspects of the exemplary7wall of FIG. 2, and wherein a floor joist is secured to the first wall with a first exemplary7connection assembly.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a first wall secured above a second wall, wherein the first and second walls are formed in accordance with aspects of the exemplary' wall of FIG. 2, and w'herein a floor joist is secured to the first wall with a second exemplary connection assembly.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a first wall secured above a second wall, wherein the first and second walls are formed in accordance with aspects of the exemplary' wall of FIG. 2, and wherein a floor joist is secured to the first wall with a third exemplary' connection assembly.

[0030] FIG. 10 shows a side view of a roof framing assembly secured to and supported by a wall formed in accordance with aspects of the exemplary wall of FIG. 2 using a first exemplary' roof connection assembly.

[0031] FIG. 11 shows a side view of a roof framing assembly secured to and supported by a wall formed in accordance with aspects of the exemplary wall of FIG. 2 using a second exemplary roof connection assembly.

[0032] FIG. 12 shows a side view' of a roof framing assembly secured to and supported by a w'all formed in accordance w ith aspects of the exemplary' w'all of FIG. 2 using a third exemplary roof connection assembly.

[0033] FIG. 13 is a picture of a pro type primary Luong panel having 2 x 4 blocking secured thereto.

[0034] FIG. 14 is a picture showing a part of a distributed load test for a secondary' ESC panel.

[0035] FIG. 15 is a picture show ing a part of a point load test for a secondary’ ESC panel.

[0036] FIG. 16 is a picture showing a stud frame.

[0037] FIG. 17 is a picture showing a part of a distributed load test for a gy psum panel.

[0038] FIG. 18 is a picture showing a part of a point load test for a gypsum panel.

[0039] FIG. 19 is a picture showing a part of a point load test for a gypsum panel.

[0040] FIG. 20 is a picture showing a part of a prefabricated wall assembly transverse bending test.

[0041] FIG. 21 is a picture show ing a part of a prefabricated wall assembly vertical compression test.

[0042] FIG. 22 is a picture showing a prefabricated wall assembly shear failure.

[0043] FIG. 23 is a picture showing a wood stiffener block sheared off of a primary panel during testing.

[0044] FIG. 24 is a flow chart that illustrates a non-limiting example of a method of optimizing a prefabricated w all assembly using a prefabricated wall assembly as disclosed herein.

[0045] FIG. 25 is a block diagram that illustrates a non-limiting example of a computing device appropriate for use as a computing device with examples of the present disclosure.

[0046] FIGS. 26-27 depict an example of a wall assembly portion constructed with traditional stick framing techniques.

[0047] FIGS. 28-30 depict an example of a wall assembly portion constructed with advanced stick framing techniques.

[0048] FIGS. 31-33 depict an example of a wall assembly portion constructed in accordance with examples herein.

[0049] FIGS. 34-36 depict an example of a wall assembly portion constructed in accordance with examples herein.

[0050] FIGS. 37-42 depict examples of connection assemblies for connecting a horizontal framing member to a primary wall panel constructed in accordance with examples herein.

[0051] FIGS. 43-46 depict examples of connection assemblies for connecting a primary wall panel constructed in accordance with examples herein to concrete.

[0052] FIG. 47 depicts an example of a wall assembly portion constructed in accordance with examples herein.

[0053] FIGS. 48 and 49 depicts an example of a wall assembly portion constructed in accordance with examples herein that is suitable for use with gy psum.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] A building framing process may include pouring / building a foundation and then securing framing structure to the foundation. In a traditional framing process using "stick frame" construction, workers assemble the skeleton of the building - wall studs, floor / ceiling joists, and roof trusses or rafters - stick-by-stick, usually on the jobsite, using lumber cut to varied sizes. Once the skeleton of the building is defined (e.g., the structure of the building has been framed), an outside surface to the building may be added. For instance, outside wall panels or siding may be secured to the wall studs and roof trusses or rafters to enclose the building. The outside panels, siding, etc., are often made from oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood or other materials that are not weather tight. Thus, the outside of the building is covered with a weather-resistant / tight barrier, completing the "dry-in" process.

[0055] Inside portions of the building, such as inside wall portions, may then be added. Inside wall portions (or wall portions that face the intenor of a building) are typically made from a non-structural bearing material such as gypsum (also known as "drywall"), and they are not added until the so-called rough-in of wires, plumbing lines, and mechanical ducts - are routed through walls and floors and insulation is packed between the framing members inside of the wall cavities. In that regard, the wall cavities are left open to the inside of the building during dry-in.

[0056] In a framing process using prefabricated building panel structures, the prefabricated building structure may be used for vertical load bearing support (as well as other support, such as shear support) while also defining the interior wall portion. In that regard, the interior wall portions are in some instances needed to complete the structural framing and dry-in of the building, closing off the wall cavity.

[0057] Because the dry-in process cannot be completed until the structural framing has been done, inside portions of the building, such as the inside wall portions, may need to be removed after dry-in to install the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components and in some instances, the installation (MEPI). However, in cases where the inside portion of the wall is defined by prefabricated building panel structures, removing a portion of those prefabricated building panel structures compromises the structural integrity of the wall. As such, installers need to use temporary vertical load bracing to remove theprefabricated building panel structure defining the inside wall portion for wall cavity access.

[0058] Further, if an issue arises with the mechanical, electrical, and / or plumbing either later in the construction process or after the building is complete, temporary7vertical load bracing will again be needed to support the area in which the prefabricated building panel structure is removed for accessing the mechanical, electrical, and / or plumbing. Along the same lines, if an area of the building is remodeled and access to the mechanical, electrical, and / or plumbing is required, temporary vertical load bracing will again be needed to support the area in which the prefabricated building panel structure is removed. The use of such vertical load bracing is time consuming and cumbersome.

[0059] In some instances, the building may be designed to locate some or all of the mechanical, electrical, and / or plumbing in non-load bearing areas of the building. As such, the prefabricated building panel structure may be removed without compromising structural integrity. However, such design is overly constrictive and. in most cases, not possible.

[0060] Accordingly, systems and methods are needed for improving the framing and dry-in process using prefabricated building panel structures both provide the necessary' structural frame while also providing a structural substrate on which the MEPI rough-in can be quickly and accurately completed.

[0061] Prefabricated wall assembly panel systems and methods for assembling prefabricated building panel structures formed in accordance with examples disclosed herein can be used to define a vertical load bearing (and / or other load bearing, such as shear) wall of a building, wherein a portion of the wall may be left off or removed for wall cavity access (such as for MEPI access) without compromising load support. For example, using the systems and methods disclosed herein, an inside portion of a load-bearing wall may be left open after dry-in, such as for subsequent MEPI installation. Moreover, a portion of a load-bearing wall may be removed after construction is fully or partially complete to access the wall cavity (such as for repairing / replacing MEPI elements in the wall cavity ). In any' instance, a portion of a load-bearing wall defined by a prefabricated building panel structure may be left off or removed without the need for shoring or temporary vertical load support of the w all in that area.

[0062] Examples of the present disclosure relate to a prefabricated wall assembly panel assembly constructed with prefabricated building panel structures that require only' asingle primary prefabricated building load-bearing panel(s) to support required loads of a portion of a building structure. More specifically, using the prefabricated wall assembly panel assembly disclosed herein, only a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion (i.e., an exterior or outside prefabricated wall assembly portion) is needed to support the loads of the building structure, such as for completing the dry-in process. A secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion (i.e., the interior or inside prefabricated wall assembly portion) may be non-structural as it is not needed for load support (such as to complete dryin or in other instances when wall cavity access is required).

[0063] In that regard, aspects of the present disclosure relate to primary, prefabricated building load-bearing panel(s) that may be used as the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion for the prefabricated building panel wall assembly, and blocking, connection assemblies, and other components associated therewith. The present disclosure also relates to methods for optimizing the capacity7of a wall constructed with a prefabricated wall assembly panel assembly using the primary, prefabricated building loadbearing panel(s) and connection assemblies such as those disclosed herein. Further, as discussed above, in some instances a wall that is placed entirely on the interior of a building might also have structural load-bearing requirements and thus the invention presented here can also apply to purely interior walls.

[0064] The prefabricated building panels for use with the prefabricated building panel wall assembly systems and methods disclosed herein may be referred to throughout as "prefabricated panels", "building panels", "panels," or the like. In many instances, the systems and methods disclosed herein are described with respect to prefabricated building panel wall assemblies; however, it should be appreciated that the prefabricated building panels and other components that are used to define the prefabricated building panel wall assembly systems and associated methods may be adapted for use with other portions of a building, such as ceilings / floors, roof structures, etc.

[0065] As used herein, "outside prefabricated building panel", "outside panel", "outside wall portion", "outside wall", "outside portion," or the like is used to refer to a structure having a surface that is exposed to an outside of a building (e.g., exposed to the outdoors / environmental effects of weather). The terms "inside prefabricated structural panel", "inside panel", "inside wall portion", "inside wall", "inside portion," or the like is used to refer to a structure having a surface that is exposed to an inside of a building (e.g., not exposed to the outdoors / environmental effects of weather). The terms "exteriorprefabricated structural panel", "exterior panel", "exterior wall portion", "exterior wall" or the like is used to refer to a structure that defines a portion of the building that is exposed to both an outside and an inside of a building. The terms "interior prefabricated structural panel", "interior panel", "interior wall portion", "interior wall" or the like is used to refer to a structure that defines a portion of the building that is exposed to only an inside of a building. However, it should be appreciated that in some instances, the terms "outside" and "exterior" may be used interchangeably, and "inside" and "interior" may be used interchangeably without departing from the scope of the systems and methods disclosed herein.

[0066] Further, it should be appreciated that even if aspects of the systems and methods disclosed herein are discussed with reference to an "inside" or "interior" panel, wall, or the like ("structure"), the systems and methods disclosed herein may also be used for the same type of "outside" or "exterior" structure. Further, the systems and methods disclosed herein may also be configured for use with other structures of a building frame, such as floors / ceilings, roof structures, etc. In that regard, if exemplary systems or methods are described with reference to a wall or wall portion, it should be appreciated that the exemplary7systems or methods may be adapted for use with another portion of a building (e.g., ceilings / floors. roof sections, etc.)

[0067] FIGS. 1-4 depict an exemplary prefabricated wall assembly 30 of a building or structure formed with a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34, a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion load reinforcing assembly 36, and a secondary' prefabricated wall assembly portion 38. The primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34. in combination with any necessary blocking or other support of the reinforcing assembly 36, is configured to support the loads of the building structure, such as for completing the dry-in process. The secondary' prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 may be anon-load-bearing portion of the prefabricated wall assembly 30.

[0068] The primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 may be defined by one or more primary prefabricated building structural, load-bearing planar wall panels or primary panels 42 that are orientated on edge and bear the principal vertical load of the prefabricated wall assembly 30. The reinforcing assembly 36 may be defined by single or multiple partial height, or full height, vertically orientated reinforcing members 44 that may act as a beam flange ("blocking") and that reinforce the structural capacity of the primary panels 42. The secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 may be defined by oneor more secondary non-structural planar wall panels or secondary panels 46, which when subsequently installed on edge in a spaced, substantially parallel relationship to the primary panels 42, creates an enclosed cavity between the primary and secondary panels.

[0069] The primary panels 42 and secondary panels 46 are secured to a bottom plate 48 at their bottom edge and a top plate 52 at their top edge. The primary panels 42 and secondary panels 46 may be secured to the bottom and top plates 48 and 52 in any suitable manner, such as in the manner described in U.S. Patent No. 8161697, incorporated herein.

[0070] In the example shown, the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 may be an exterior or outside of the prefabricated wall assembly 30, and the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 may be a corresponding interior or inside of the prefabricated wall assembly 30. Because the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 is not needed to support the loads of the building structure, it may be left off or removed from the prefabricated wall assembly 30 during or after the framing process, such as for MEPI access. In some examples, the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 can define a finish inside facing surface where both the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 and secondary7prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 are on the interior of a building.

[0071] The primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34. defined by one or more primary panels 42, supports the structural loads of the building structure, including vertical loads, transverse (out-of-plane) loads, and horizontal shear (in-plane) loads. As shown, the primary7panels 42 are attached edge to edge in a way that , when they collectively define the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34, they have both shear capacity and shear-wall ductility from the fasteners or connections used to structurally connect the primary panels. For instance, the interface or joint connection between adjacent panels may be defined by a half lap joint or similar. In some examples, the interface or joint connection between adjacent panels may be defined by steel shear clips nailed to both panels, or a piece of lumber nailed to both panels.

[0072] Specifically, a base level connection between two neighboring primary' panels 42 can be a half depth lap where one panel is nailed to the other panel. Using nails instead of hardened screws can increase the ductility of this primary panel connection. Where higher shear capacities or out-of-plane capacities are required, the full depth of neighboring primary' panels 42 may be needed, and the panels can be nailed to a sharedvertical piece of lumber on the same side of the panels as the reinforcing assembly 36 (or blocking), or both panels can be nailed to a metal shear plate.

[0073] The connection between primary panels 42 forces panels to move transversely (out-of-plane) together to share transverse stiffness and buckling capacity. The connection also provides a shear connection between the primary panels 42 for in-plane shear wall forces, keeping the panels from moving past each other vertically. The connection between primary panels 42 may have sufficient fastener withdrawal strength to prevent panels from having differential out-of-plane movement panel to panel when they are resisting wind or other loading on the panel face to help prevent damage to the connection or to finishes on the face of the panels.

[0074] The connection between the primary panels 42 is preferably also configured to provide main wind or seismic force resistance to prevent building shear wall failure. The connection between the primary panels 42 preferably has ductility for seismic loads to give a more favorable seismic response factor, which reduces the seismic force a building is required to be designed for.

[0075] Thus, connection configuration between primary panels 42 helps define the structural capacity and stiffness of the primary prefabricated w all assembly portion 34.

[0076] The structural capacity and stiffness of the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 also depends on configuration of the primary panels 42 themselves. In one aspect, the panel has a body defined by materials and / or lay-up configuration (e g., biogenic fiber orientation, the material types and arrangement of layers, etc.) that is configured to support desired wall structural capacities or stiffnesses. In another aspect, the panel body thickness of the primary panels 42 can be changed for different wall structural capacities or stiffnesses. In another aspect, the configuration of the reinforcing assembly 36, such as the blocking size, stiffness, length, attachment type and spacing to the primary' panels 42 can be changed for different wall structural capacity requirements.

[0077] Regarding panel materials and / or lay-up configuration, the body of the primary panel 42 may be made from any suitable material or combinations of materials that, when assembled in panel form to define a panel thickness, are suitable to define a load bearing support for a building. In some examples, the primary panels 42 may be made from one or more biogenic materials, such as wood, bamboo, eucalyptus, etc., in predetermined layups that meet the required loads of the prefabricated wall assembly 30.

[0078] In some examples, the primary panels 42 may be made from bamboo either alone or in combination with other materials. Various prefabricated bamboo or bamboo hybrid building structural panel structures are described in WO2022026898A1, entitled "Bamboo-hybrid structural panels and structural sections," hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0079] One known bamboo hybrid structural panel, referred to herein as the "2.0 panel" or "Gen. 2 panel" includes four bamboo structural layers (i.e., along a neutral plane and without any non-bamboo structural layers therebetween) sandwiched between two layers of wood veneer - one on each face. Two of the bamboo structural layers have a vertical grain orientation, while the other two middle bamboo structural layers have an approximate 5-degree skew from vertical.

[0080] Another known bamboo hybrid structural panel, referred to herein as the "3.0 panel" or "Gen. 3 panel" may include a plurality of structural layers adhered together in a laminate, including a plurality of bamboo structural layers and at least one non-bamboo structural layer disposed between a first bamboo structural layer and a second bamboo structural layer of the plurality of bamboo structural layers. The first bamboo structural layer and the second bamboo structural layer of the plurality of bamboo structural layers are spaced apart by the at least one non-bamboo structural layer on opposite sides of a neutral plane extending through a center of the structural panel and parallel to the plurality of bamboo structural layers.

[0081] Another bamboo hybrid structural panel may be formed at least in part from a bamboo panel element described in U.S. Patent No. 8173236B1, entitled "Bamboo load bearing panel and method of manufacturing", the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. For instance, a bamboo panel element may include a bamboo laminate layer with first and second layers formed of a plurality of bamboo strips, each having a cortex and a pith surface, longitudinally cut from bamboo culm and pressed flat, wherein each of the bamboo strips within the first and second layers are arranged parallel to one another with the cortex surfaces facing the same direction within a layer and the bamboo strips within the first layer are oriented alike and opposite the bamboo strips within the second layer such that an internal interface between the first and second layers is formed by bonded together the corresponding cortex surfaces of the bamboo strips in the first and second layers and first and second outer surfaces of the bamboo laminate layer are defined by the pith surfaces of bamboo strips respectively in the first and second layers.

[0082] In another instance, the bamboo panel element may include a laminate layer with first and second layers formed of a plurality of bamboo strips, wherein the bamboo strips have cortex and pith surfaces, are parallel and are longitudinally cut from bamboo culm, pressed flat and planed, wherein the cortex surfaces of the bamboo strips in the first layer, having the cortex surfaces oriented alike, are bonded to the cortex surfaces of the bamboo strips in the second layer, and a wood veneer layer bonded to the pith surfaces of the bamboo strips in the first layer, wherein the wood veneer layer is positioned such that grain of the wood veneer layer is perpendicular to grain of the bamboo strips.'

[0083] Another bamboo hybrid structural panel is described in U.S. Patent No.10195821B1, entitled "Bamboo laminated construction panel and method of manufacture", the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. For instance, a bamboo laminated construction panel may include at least two layers of prepared bamboo laminated together with outside surface wood veneer layers. Linear bamboo starter boards, made from timber bamboo culm cut to length, split longitudinally, processed to remove sugars, pressed flat into bamboo planks with the soft pith surfaces of two bamboo planks laminated together with grain aligned, may be disposed adjacent to each other along the longitudinal side edges forming a linear bamboo starter board layer. The bamboo laminated panel may be formed by laminating a first wood veneer layer with grain disposed perpendicular to the vertical centerline of the finished panel, first and second bamboo starter board layers with grains aligned opposingly and equally offset from the centerline, and a second wood veneer layer with grain also perpendicularly aligned. Additional bamboo starter board layers are optionally included in pairs to form thicker panels.

[0084] Another bamboo hybrid structural panel is described in U.S. Patent No.11175116B2, entitled "Bamboo and / or vegetable cane fiber ballistic impact panel and process", the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. For instance, a ballistic panel may include a plurality of vegetable cane fibers (e.g., bamboo fibers) impregnated with a polymer. The vegetable cane fibers may be formed into mats of interconnected and entangled fibers and the polymer may be formed into polymer films. The polymer films and mats may be arranged into a layered assembly having an alternating arrangement and pressed together. The layered assembly may be heated to soften the polymer and allow it to flow around the vegetable cane fibers to impregnate the vegetable cane fibers and then cooled. The vegetable cane fibers may be generally uniformlydistributed through the entire thickness of the panel and vegetable cane fibers originally formed within different mats are entangled with each other.

[0085] In some examples, the prefabricated building panel structures may comprise wood as a veneer-based panel, a mass timber panel such cross laminated timber (CLT), mass plywood, nail laminated timber panels, or the like.

[0086] In some examples, the primary panels 42 may comprise outer eucalyptus layers with one or more wood core layers. In a specific example, a primary panel 42 may include eucalyptus grandis outer (or face) layers and one or more loblolly pine core layers sandwiched between the outer eucalyptus grandis layers.

[0087] As noted above, the thickness of the body of the primary panels 42 may be varied for accommodating different wall structural capacities or stiffnesses. The thickness of the primary panels 42 may be of a minimum thickness sufficient to withstand vertical buckling loads and provide fastener capacity, but not thicker than needed. In that manner, material cost, installation cost, operating cost and / or embodied carbon comparison can be managed appropriately.

[0088] The primary panels 42 may also have a suitable panel body thickness and fastener capacity for window and door frames to be directly attached to the primary' panel(s), expediting building dry in. Of course, in cases where windows and doors require additional support, wood framing or the like may be added around openings for added attachment capacity and stiffness.

[0089] Using the systems and methods described herein, a thickness of the primary' panels 42 and the secondary panels 46 of the prefabricated wall assembly 30 may be optimized for material cost and structural support of the prefabricated wall assembly 30. Specifically, the body of the primary panels 42 may be of a first thickness greater than a second thickness of a body of the secondary' panels 46 for a most efficient use of panel material. The inventors have found that using primary panels 42 having a first thickness greater than a second thickness of the secondary panels 46 can result in an overall increased stiffness of the prefabricated wall assembly 30 compared to the stiffness of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 having the same thickness when the combined thickness of the primary' and secondary' panels 42 and 46 remains the same.

[0090] As a non-limiting example, a combined moment of inertia for a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 having athickness of 1.75 inches and 0.75 inches, respectively (see "Prefabricated wall assembly Configuration 1" below), is significantly higher than a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 each having a thickness of 1.25 inches (see "Prefabricated wall assembly Configuration 2" below). Below is a calculation of the combined moment of inertia of first and second exemplary prefabricated wall assemblies 30.

[0091] Prefabricated wall assembly Configuration 1 : A prefabricated wall assembly using 1-foot wide primary and secondary panels that are 1.75 inches and 0.75 inches thick, respectively, and of the same material / construction, without any reinforcing assembly 36.a. Combined moment of inertia for Configuration 1 :i. 12*(T.75A3+0.75A3) / 12 = 5,78 inA4

[0092] Prefabricated wall assembly Configuration 2: A prefabricated wall assembly using 1-foot wide primary and secondary panels that are both 1.25 inches thick and of the same material / construction, without any reinforcing assembly 36:a. Combined moment of inertia for Configuration 2:i. 12 x (1.25A3+1.25A3) / 12 = 3.91 inA4

[0093] The combined moment of inertia of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using 1-foot wide primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 that are 1.75 inches and 0.75 inches thick, respectively, is calculated to be 5.78 inA4, compared to the combined moment of inertia of 3.91 inA4 for a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using 1-foot wide primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 that are both 1.25 inches thick. In that regard, the combined moment of inertia of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using 1-foot wide primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 that are 1.75 inches and 0.75 inches thick, respectively, is about 48% higher than the combined moment of inertia of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using 1-foot wide primary and secondary' panels 42 and 46 that are both 1.25 inches thick.

[0094] Seeing as the moment of inertia is directly related to panel stiffness, a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using primary panels 42 having a first thickness greater than a second thickness of the secondary panels 46 can result in an overall increased stiffness of the prefabricated wall assembly 30 compared to the stiffness of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 using primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 of generally the same thickness.

[0095] Moreover, an increase in stiffness can be achieved without using any additional material for the primary and secondary panels 42 and 46. Rather, as can be appreciated from the example discussed above, the combined thickness of the primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 in both configurations is 2.5 inches. Thus, when using the same amount of material for the primary and secondary panels 42 and 46 (such as in the prior art Two Structural Panel BamCore Prime Wall Assembly, as described below with respect to FIGS. 13 and 14), a greater overall stiffness of the prefabricated wall assembly 30 can be achieved using primary panels 42 having a thickness greater than the secondary panels 46 for the same overall amount of material. Accordingly, the prefabricated wall assembly 30 described herein enables an efficient use of panel materials.

[0096] The primary panels 42 for a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 may be identical in configuration throughout the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34, or they may instead be individually configured to accommodate the load requirements of certain portions of the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 and / or the building. For instance, the configuration of the primary panels 42 may vary within a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34. The configuration of primary panels 42, such as its layup or use of certain materials, can vary to tailor the stiffness capacity of the panel without increasing its thickness. In that regard, higher stiffness primary panels 42 may be used to support higher load areas of the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 (e.g., near a joist or beam). At the same time, lower stiffness primary panels 42 (likely lower in cost) may be used in open wall span areas or the like.

[0097] Exemplary aspects of the secondary panels 46 used to construct the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 will now be described. In general, the primary panels 42, which can be added after MEPI installation and which can be later removed without supporting the primary panels 42, are configured to act as the finish, interior or inside facing surface of a completed primary prefabricated wall assembly¬ portion 34. The secondary panels 46 may be made of the same or similar material and may be of the same or similar construction as the primary panels 42 except thinner than the primary panels 42 for optimized material use, as discussed above.

[0098] Generally, the secondary- panels 46 are sufficiently stiff to be useable as an interior finish substrate, balancing and optimizing the thickness of the secondary panels 46 in relation to the number of connection points to the primary panels 42 (through the reinforcing assembly 36). For instance, the secondary panels 46 may be sufficiently thickto reduce blocking to a reasonable amount. As can be appreciated, an increased amount of blocking uses more materials, requires more labor for installation of the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34, etc. At the same time, the reinforcing assembly 36 may be used to provide the necessary support to secondary panels 46 such that the secondary panels 46 may be non-load bearing yet may be sufficiently stiff to resist indoor transverse loading for the intended application.

[0099] The secondary panels 46 may be also sufficiently thick and have a sufficient fastener capacity for electrical devices such as outlets and switches to be directly supported by the secondary panel without requiring attachment to blocking or to added framing. The secondary panels 46 may also be sufficiently thick and have a sufficient fastener capacity for plumbing devices like showerheads and washer boxes to be directly supported by the secondary panel. Alternatively and / or additionally, the secondary panel 46 can be reinforced with added layers locally at attachment points to support these and other devices where needed, such as for assistive device mountings (e.g., grab bars).

[0100] The secondary panels 46 for a secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 may be identical in configuration throughout the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38, or they may instead be individually configured to accommodate the load requirements of certain portions of the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 and / or the building. For instance, the configuration of the secondary panels 46 may vary within a secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38. The configuration of a secondary panel 46, such as its layup or use of certain materials, can vary to tailor the stiffness capacity' of the panel without increasing its thickness. In that regard, higher stiffness secondary’ panels 46 may be used to support attachment points in a specific area of a secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38 (e.g., a sink area). At the same time, lower stiffness secondary panels 46 (likely lower in cost) may be used in open wall span areas or the like.

[0101] Exemplary aspects of the reinforcing assembly 36 will now be described with additional reference to FIGS. 5A-5D and 6A-6E. In general, the reinforcing assembly 36 can sen e multiple purposes. For instance, a primary purpose of the reinforcing assembly 36 can be to increase structural capacities and stiffnesses of the primary' panels 42, such as by increasing transverse stiffness and by increasing buckling (vertical load) capacity. The reinforcing assembly 36 can also or instead provide extra support to the secondary prefabricated wall assembly portion 38, so that the secondary panels 46 canbe made thinner and have lower stiffness requirements. The reinforcing assembly 36 can also serve as attachment points for electrical, plumbing, and other trades, reducing the need for added standoff clips. The reinforcing assembly 36 may be configured as blocking, including short and long structural pieces of material. The reinforcing assembly 36 may be sometimes simply referred to as "blocking."

[0102] In typical stick frame construction, blocking includes short pieces of dimensional lumber used to brace longer members or to provide grounds for fixings. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, the blocking for the reinforcing assembly 36 can be of varied lengths and heights. For instance, as shown in FIG. 5A, a piece of blocking 36A may be defined by a piece of 2x4 lumber that extends across the entire cavity of the prefabricated wall assembly 30A (defined between the primary panel and secondary panel 42A and 46 A). The length or height of the blocking 36A is less than the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30A (e.g., 1 / 2 of the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30B). Such blocking 36A may be substantially centrally located between the bottom and top plates 48A and 52A of the prefabricated wall assembly 30A to provide distributed load support for the primary panel 42A and the secondary panel 46A. As can be seen, an increased amount of fasteners may be used to secure the blocking 36A to the primary' panel 42A (as compared to the amount of fasteners used to secure the blocking 36A to the secondary panel 46 A) for increased composite action and added stiffness and buckling benefit to the primary panels 42A from the blocking.

[0103] FIG. 5B shows blocking 36B defined by a piece of 2x6 lumber that extends across the entire cavity of the prefabricated wall assembly 30B (defined between the primary panel and secondary panel 42B and 46B). The length or height of the blocking 36B is significantly less than the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30B (e.g., l / 5thof the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30B). Such blocking 36A may be substantially centrally located between the bottom and top plates 48B and 52B of the prefabricated wall assembly 30B to provide distributed load support for the primary panel 42B and the secondary' panel 46B. As can be seen, an increased amount of fasteners may be used to secure the blocking 36B to the primary panel 42B (as compared to the amount of fasteners used to secure the blocking 36A to the secondary' panel 46B) for increased composite action and added stiffness and buckling benefit to the primary panel 42B from the blocking.

[0104] FIG. 5C shows blocking 36C defined by a piece of 2x4 lumber that extends partially across the cavity of the prefabricated wall assembly 30C (defined between the primary panel and secondary panel 42 and 46). In other words, the width of the blocking 36C is less than the width of the bottom and top plates 48C and 5C2 of the prefabricated wall assembly 30C. In this manner, an acoustic / insulation gap 56 is defined between the blocking 36C and the secondary panel 46C, providing the capabilities for increased insulation and decreased acoustic attenuation, and / or further providing wall cavity access for trades. The secondary panel 46C is secured to the blocking 36C with a plurality of (e.g., two) standoffs 60 preferably defined by low thermal and acoustic transferring connections.

[0105] The length or height of the blocking 36C is less than the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30C (e.g., 1 / 2 of the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30C). The blocking 36C may be substantially centrally located between the bottom and top plates 48C and 52C of the prefabricated wall assembly 30C to provide distributed load support for the primary panel 42C and the secondary panel 46C. As can be seen, an increased amount of fasteners may be used to secure the blocking 36C to the primary panel 42C (as compared to the amount of fasteners used to secure the blocking 36C to the secondary panel 46C through the standoffs 60) for increased composite action and added stiffness and buckling benefit to the primary panel 42C from the blocking.

[0106] FIG. 5D shows blocking 36D defined by apiece of 2x4 lumber that extends partially across the cavity of the prefabricated wall assembly 30D (defined between the primary panel and secondary' panel 42D and 46D). In other words, the width of the blocking 36D is less than the width of the bottom and top plates 48D and 52D of the prefabricated wall assembly 30D. In this manner, an acoustic / insulation gap 58 is defined between the blocking 36D and the secondary panel 46D, providing the capabilities for increased insulation and decreased acoustic attenuation, and / or further providing wall cavity7access for trades. The secondary' panel 46D is secured to the blocking 36D with a plurality (e.g.. three) of standoffs 62 preferably defined by low thermal and acoustic transferring connections.

[0107] The length or height of the blocking 36D is about the same as the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30D (excluding the height of the bottom and top plates 48D and 52D) for increased stiffness and buckling benefit along the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30D. As can be seen, an increased amount of fasteners may be used to secure the blocking 36D to the primary panel 42D (as compared to the amountof fasteners used to secure the blocking 36D to the secondary panel 46D through the standoffs 62) for increased composite action and added stiffness and buckling benefit to the primary panel 42D from the blocking.

[0108] As can be appreciated, blocking material for the reinforcing assembly 36 can be typical dimensional wood lumber, including 2x4, 2x6. 4x4, or other sizes, and / or it can be engineered lumber / structural composite lumber for increased capacities. Blocking material can be customized for the prefabricated wall assembly application, such as by using various materials to improve stiffness, reduce thermal conductivity, reduce embodied carbon, etc.

[0109] In some examples, blocking may be configured to include various structures and assemblies, such as I-joists, open web trusses, etc. For instance, in some examples, blocking may be configured as a reinforced wood stud similar to that shown and described in US Patent No. 10731332, entitled "Composite reinforced wood stud for residential and commercial buildings", incorporated herein by references in its entirety.

[0110] In some examples, blocking may be configured as bamboo structures, bamboo hybrid structures, and / or structures made from other biogenic fibers. For instance, the various prefabricated bamboo or bamboo hybrid structural sections described in WO2022026898A1, incorporated herein, may be used.

[0111] In some examples, blocking may be configured as high strength bamboo I-beams, such as those shown and described in U.S. Pat. No 8561373B1, entitled "Bamboo I-beam with laminated web and flanges," the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. A high strength bamboo I-beam may include a bamboo web formed from bamboo boards formed by splaying, pressing and planing bamboo culm and having flanges laminated to the top and bottom of the web. The I-beam flanges may each include a laminated bamboo flange element on either side of the web portion wherein the top and bottom edges of the web portion are flush with the top and bottom flanges of the I-beam. The flange elements may be formed from laminated strips of splayed, pressed and planed bamboo culm. The I-beam may be bonded with non-formaldehyde adhesives. Orientation of the high fiber cortex regions of the bamboo boards imparts structural characteristics to the beam. Such a bamboo I-beam provides a lightw eight, low cost, high strength, and fire-resistant load bearing blocking component as compared to traditional lumber fabricated blocking components.

[0112] Blocking material can be typical dimensional wood lumber, including 2x4, 2x6, 4x4 as noted above, or other sizes, and / or it can be engineered lumber / structural composite lumber for increased capacities. Blocking material can be customized for the application, such as by using various materials to improve stiffness, reduce thermal conductivity, reduce embodied carbon, etc.

[0113] Blocking attachment to the primary panels 42 can be wood fasteners like nails or screws to give composite action and added stiffness and buckling benefit to the primary panels 42 from the blocking. Further, blocking can be attached to the primary panels 42 with inclined screws, at an angle to the vertical direction, to increase shear stiffness at the attachment between the primary panel and the blocking to increase the composite action beyond a screw perpendicular to the planer surface of the primary panels 42. The blocking attachment can also be attached to the primary panel 42 at the time of manufacturing or on the job site with structural adhesives to increase the composite action between the blocking and the primary panel 42. Other attachments which also increase the shear stiffness and / or connection strength between the primary panel and the blocking can be used, such as shear rings, wood welding, slip critical connections, shear plates and straps, pronged connector plates, and other similar attachments.

[0114] In some examples, a traditional blocking configuration using two flanges separated by a web is used. When this type of blocking is used in the prefabricated wall assembly 30, one flange can be left off of the blocking and the primary panel 42 can act as a single flange of the blocking.

[0115] The blocking can also or instead be integrally attached to or otherwise formed on the primary panel 42 at the time of manufacturing. For instance, the blocking may be defined by form pressing the primary panels 42 into a corrugated shape or the like, wherein protruding / raised portions of the primary panels 42 define integrated blocking. In other examples, the blocking may be defined by thicker portions of a manufactured panel, such as by pressing or adhering additional materials into the panel and / or layers during formation to define the blocking.

[0116] FIGS. 6A-6C show examples of integrated blocking for use with a prefabricated wall assembly. The examples of integrated blocking shown in FIGS. 6A-6C are structurally and functionally similar to the blocking examples shown and described above with reference to FIGS. 5 A, 5C, and 5D. Thus, the examples of integrated blockingdescribed with reference to FIGS. 6A-6C use similar reference numerals except in the '100 series.

[0117] FIG. 6A shows a first example of integrated blocking 136A that may be defined by formed corrugated portions of a primary panel 142. FIG. 6E shows a cross-sectional view of the integrated blocking 136A show n in FIG. 6A. The corrugated portions defining the integrated blocking 136A project from a planar surface of the primary panel 142A and extend across the entire cavity of a prefabricated wall assembly 130A defined between the primary panel 142A and a secondary panel 146A (e.g., with the cavity similar in size to a width of a piece of 2x4 lumber). The length or height of the blocking 136A is less than the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 130 A (e.g., 1 / 2 of the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 30B). The integrated blocking 136A may be substantially centrally located betw een bottom and top plates 148A and 152A of the prefabricated wall assembly 130A to provide distributed load support for the primary panel 142A and the secondary panel 146A.

[0118] FIG. 6B shows another example of integrated blocking 136B formed by corrugated portions of a primary panel 142B. FIG. 6D shows a cross-sectional view of the integrated blocking 136B show n in FIG. 6B. The corrugated portions project from a planar surface of the primary panel 142B and extend partially across the cavity of the prefabricated wall assembly BOB (defined between the primary panel and secondary panel 142B and 146B). In other words, the width of the integrated blocking 136B is less than the width of the bottom and top plates 148B and 152B of the prefabricated wall assembly BOB. In this manner, an acoustic / insulation gap 156 is defined between the blocking 136B and the secondary panel 146B, providing the capabilities for increased insulation and decreased acoustic attenuation, and / or further providing w all cavity access for trades. The secondary panel 146B is secured to the corrugated portions of the integrated blocking 136B with a plurality of (e.g., two) standoffs 160 preferably defined by low thermal and acoustic transferring connections.

[0119] The length of the integrated blocking 136B is less than the height of the prefabricated wall assembly BOB (e.g. , 1 / 2 of the height of the prefabricated wall assembly BOB). The 136B may be substantially centrally located between the bottom and top plates 148B and 152B of the prefabricated wall assembly BOB to provide distributed load support for the primary panel 142B and secondary panel 146B.

[0120] FIG. 6C similarly shows integrated blocking 136C formed by corrugated portions of a primary panel 142B. FIG. 6D shows a cross-sectional view of the integrated blocking 136C shown in FIG. 6C. The corrugated portions project from a planar surface of the primary panel 142C and extend partially across the cavity7of the prefabricated wall assembly 130C (defined between the primary panel and secondary panel 142C and 146C). In other words, the width of the integrated blocking 136C is less than the width of the bottom and top plates 148C and 152C of the prefabricated wall assembly 130C. In this manner, an acoustic / insulation gap 158 is defined between the blocking 136C and the secondary panel 146C, providing the capabilities for increased insulation and decreased acoustic attenuation, and / or further providing wall cavity access for trades. The secondary panel 146C is secured to the corrugated portions of the integrated blocking 136C with a plurality of (e.g., three) standoffs 162 preferably defined by low thermal and acoustic transferring connections. The length of the integrated blocking 136C is about the same as the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 130C (excluding the height of the bottom and top plates 148C and 152C) for increased stiffness and buckling benefit along the height of the prefabricated wall assembly 130C.

[0121] Using primary panels, secondary7panels, and a reinforcing assembly, as described herein allows the primary panel and any blocking to be installed similar to traditional framing sequences. After installation of the primary panels and reinforcing assembly, the floor above and / or roof and remaining structure can be constructed, allowing for an early dry in option. Then the trades (electrical, plumbing, media and others) can be installed in the fully open or mostly open w all cavity . Insulation of the cavity can be completed before the secondary panels are installed by use of standard insulation batts or BIB (blow-in blanket behind a netting) or after the secondary panels are installed via blowin insulation. After installation of the secondary7panels, finishing in the interior of the building can be done.

[0122] The prefabricated wall assembly described herein is suitable for interfacing with and supporting the surrounding structure of a building. An overview of connection assemblies and interface configurations between a prefabricated wall assembly730 (such as that described above, or any other example described herein) and related building structures will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7-12.

[0123] In general, floor and roof framing can be supported by the primary panels 42 of the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion 34 in substantially7the same way thatty pi cal floor and roof framing (horizontal framing) are supported by wood stud-built walls. For instance, the floor and roof framing can sit directly on top of the primary panels 42, where there is direct bearing between the roof or floor member and the panel itself. The prefabricated wall assembly 30 can support any type of framing, including but not limited to floor joists, SIP panels, Mass timber panels like CLT, trusses, and rafters. Depending on the size of the primary panels 42 and the load being supported, alternative support methods could be used, like a hanger directly from the horizontal framing to the primary panels 42, or a hanger to a rim board that bears to a top of the primary panels 42.

[0124] FIG. 7 shows an example of joist J supported by a hanger H secured to a primary panel 42. The hanger H is secured directly to an extended portion of the primary panel 42 and supports the joist J. The hanger H can be used for both transferring vertical loads from the joists to the panel and also for transferring out-of-plane loads from the panel to the joists. A shear plate 70 may be secured to a primary' panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located above the joist J as well as the primary panel 42 supporting the joist J.

[0125] FIG. 8 shows an example of joist J supported by a hanger H secured to a rim board R, wherein the rim board R bears on a primary' panel 42 below. A first shear plate 70 may be secured to a primary panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located above the joist J as well as the rim board R. and a second shear plate 72 may be secured to the rim board R and the primary panel 42 supporting the rim board R. Additional shear connectors SC may be used to secure the joist J to a top plate, unlike when there is a direct connection to the primary panel 42, such as in FIG. 7 (as well as in FIG. 11, 40, and 42).

[0126] FIG. 9 shows an example of joist J supported by a direct bearing on a primary panel 42 below. A first shear plate 70 may be secured to a primary panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located above the joist J as well as blocking B between joists, and a second shear plate 72 may be secured to the blocking B and the primary panel 42 supporting the joist J. Additional shear connectors SC may be used to secure the joist J to a top plate.

[0127] FIG. 10 shows an example of a roof truss T supported by a direct bearing on a primary' panel 42 below. A shear plate 70 (and hurricane tie HT) may be secured to a primary panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located blow the truss T as well as to blocking B between trusses. Additional shear connectors SC may be used to secure the truss T to a top plate.

[0128] FIG. 11 shows an example of a roof truss T supported by a hanger H secured to a primary panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located below the truss T. The hanger H is secured directly to an extended portion of the primary panel 42 and supports the truss T. The hanger H can be used for both transferring vertical loads from the truss to the panel and also for transferring out-of-plane loads from the panel to the truss. A shear plate 70 may be secured to a hurricane tie HT and the extended portion of the primary panel 42 of the prefabricated wall assembly 30 located blow the truss T.

[0129] FIG. 12 shows an example of a roof truss T supported by a hanger H secured to a rim board R, wherein the rim board R bears on a primary panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located below the truss T. Additional shear connectors SC may be used to secure the truss T to a top plate.

[0130] A shear plate 70 may be secured to a primary panel 42 of a prefabricated wall assembly 30 located above the joist J as well as the rim board R, and a second shear plate 72 may be secured to the rim board R and the primary panel 42 supporting the rim board R. A shear plate 70 may be secured to the rim board R (and a hurricane tie HT) and the primary panel 42 of the prefabricated wall assembly 30 located blow the truss T.

[0131] Lumber directly sitting on the primary' panels 42 will have a vertical load capacity limited by the bearing area and compression strength perpendicular to grain of the horizontal lumber member. For example, if the lumber (joist, rafter, truss, etc.) is a 2x member (1.5 inches wide), and the primary panels 42 are 1.25 inches thick, then the bearing support will have an area of 1.875 square inches. If the lumber member is made from Douglas Fir lumber, which has a Allowable Stress Design level Compression Perpendicular to Grain Capacity of 625 pounds per inch squared, then the connection between the lumber member and the primary panels 42 could support 1171 pounds of vertical load, which would allow for a floor span of approximately 29 feet per floor (assuming 16 inch joist spacing, 40 pound per square foot live load, and 20 pound per square foot dead load), or a roof span of approximately 39 feet (assuming 24 inch rafter or truss spacing, 20 pound per square foot live load and 10 pound per square foot dead load). Such a capacity is useable in many types of construction projects without more hardware or more complex connections.

[0132] The conventional connection capacity described above could be increased by adding a bearing plate made of metal, or other material, between the horizontal lumber member and the primary panel 42 to spread the force across more length of the primarypanel 42 and of the lumber member to reduce the bearing stress. Another way to increase the horizontal member capacity to primary panel connection include using a hanger connected to the primary panel 42 or a rim board as described above, with fasteners and bottom bearing for the horizontal member, which can increase the bearing area and add capacity from the fastener support. Additional methods that could increase the bearing capacity would be to use thicker primary’ panels 42, and / or add additional local laminations to the primary panels at the top of the wall to increase the area for bearing, and / or add additional blocking members under and in contact with the top plate so that the top plate can be used for bearing support in addition to the primary panel.

[0133] When the top plate 52 is also able to support horizontal member vertical load, the above capacities and horizontal member spans can be increased by the same ratio of the increased support length. For example, if a 5.5 inch wide top plate is used in conjunction with a 1.25 inch thick primary7panel 42, then the bearing length could be increased to 6.75 inches, giving a bearing support of 6328 pounds. This would result in a floor span or a roof span that is a substantial improvement over conventional framing practices.

[0134] In some aspects, the primary7panels 42 and corresponding blocking of the reinforcing assembly 36 may be generally referred to as buckling reinforced structural panels with optimized furred out wall utility panels (SPOFWUP).

[0135] A material cost, install cost, operating cost and / or embodied carbon comparison can be done for any project on site specific parameters to decide which combination of primary panel and blocking variables should be used for wall structural capacity and stiffness requirements.

[0136] In some examples, the systems and methods disclosed herein may include a construction optimization system and process, which may be incorporated into the systems and methods described in International Patent Application No. PCT / US2023 / 072490, entitled "Systems and Method For Optimizing Industrialized Construction Capacities Of A Building Structure," hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. For instance, an optimization system and process may include designating at least one of a material and / or configuration and / or thickness of the primary7panel(s) 42, blocking materials and / or a configuration of the reinforcing assembly 36, or both, to support a required building load. The optimization system and process may also include designating a connection assembly configuration between horizontal framing members and the primary panels 42 to support arequired building load. The optimization system and process may also include designating at least one of a material and / or configuration and / or thickness of the secondary panel(s) 46 to support the required interior / inside finishings or other aspects of the building.

[0137] FIG. 24 is a flowchart that illustrates a non-limiting example of a method 200 of optimizing a prefabricated wall assembly using a prefabricated wall assembly as disclosed herein. In general, the method 200 may include optimizing at least one of the load, thermal, environmental capacities (e.g., embodied carbon / energy and / or carbon sink), costs, etc., of a prefabricated wall assembly, including any of its components, such as the primary panels, secondary panels, and reinforcing assembly, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. According to some examples, the method includes designating a certain type of material (such as a type of biogenic material) for at least one of the primary panels and secondary panels to optimize at least one of the load capacity, thermal performance, environmental (embodied carbon / energy' or carbon sink) capacities, and costs of the building structure.

[0138] At step 208. the method 200 may include receiving, with a computing device, framing design input information for at least one wall of a building structure having a first wall portion and a second wall portion spaced substantially parallel to the first wall portion, the second wall portion formed with at least one prefabricated structural panel. For instance, the framing design input information may include one or more of load capacity requirements (e.g., vertical / transverse load requirements, shear requirements, seismic requirements, etc.), building code requirements (specific to location, including soils, seismic, wind, etc ), building use or type (e.g., low / high rise, Type 1-Type 5, etc ), structural layout, a location of the wall within a building structure, thermal resistance objectives (R) or thermal performance requirements, environmental targets or requirements (embodied carbon / energy or carbon sink), cost constraints, etc., for the at least one wall and / or its first wall portion and / or second wall portion.

[0139] A user interface engine of a computing device may receive framing design input information based on input received from a user, such as from at least one of a structural engineer, designer, builder, contractor, etc. The user interface engine may be used to access a cloud-based BIM platform or similar for generating the framing design input information including at least one parameter for a structural component. In that regard, any cloud-based BIM platform or similar used for generating framing design input information may7be considered as the computing device.

[0140] At step 212, the method 200 may include processing, with a computing device, the framing design input information to determine at least one load requirement for the at least one wall. The at least one load requirement may be based on one or more of the framing design input information criteria listed above.

[0141] At step 216, the method 200 may include designating, by a computing device, at least one of a material, thickness, and corresponding blocking for at least one primary panel of a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion based on structural load requirements for the at least one wall. For instance, the method 200 may include designating at least one pe of material for at least one primary panel of the first wall portion based on a correlation between at least one property of the type of material and the structural load requirements for the first wall portion.

[0142] For instance, in some examples, a type of material recommendation engine of a computing device may process framing design requirement data, and then the ty pe of material recommendation engine may cross-reference the processed framing design requirement data for the first wall portion with property data for type of materials stored in a type of material data store to output a recommended material.

[0143] In some examples, a material thickness recommendation engine of a computing device may process framing design requirement data, and then the material thickness recommendation engine may cross-reference the processed framing design requirement data for the first wall portion with property data for type of materials stored in the type of material data store to output a recommended material thickness.

[0144] In some examples, a blocking recommendation engine of a computing device may process framing design requirement data, and then the blocking recommendation engine may cross-reference the processed framing design requirement data for the first wall portion with a selected material and / or thickness to output a recommended blocking configuration.

[0145] The method 200 may further include designating, by a computing device, at least one of a material, thickness, and corresponding blocking for at least one primary panel of a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion based on other framing design requirements for the at least one wall, such as thermal resistance objectives (R) or thermal performance requirements, environmental targets or requirements (embodied carbon / energy or carbon sink), cost constraints, etc.

[0146] It should be appreciated that the method 200 may be carried out using any of the techniques described in the above-referenced International Patent Application No. PCT / US2023 / 072490, incorporated herein.

[0147] Prefabricated wall assembly panel systems and methods for assembling the same in accordance with the present disclosure provide numerous benefits and advantages compared to prior art systems.

[0148] For instance, a prior art studless load bearing wall panel system, such as one generally constructed in accordance with the systems and methods shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 8161697, entitled "Studless load bearing panel wall system", uses prefabricated structural panels that may be made from bamboo, Eucalyptus, and other materials. The panels attach on edge to conventional wood top and bottom plates to provide structural support for the building (without the use of studs) while defining first and second sides or portions of a wall.

[0149] As a specific example of the system shown and described in U.S. Patent No.8161697, the Two Structural Panel BamCore Prime Wall Assembly has two structural panels parallel to each other with a cavity in the middle, and both panels attached to a stiffener block. This assembly requires that both panels are installed before dry in. As a result, installation access holes need to be cut into one or both structural panels in order to complete the rough-in electrical and plumbing installation in the cavity, and at every point these items need to be attached within the wall. There may also be a need to be inspection holes around any structural item in the wall cavity. There may also need to be insulation blow-in holes to add the blown insulation to the closed cavity. There sometimes needs to be insulation inspection holes to ensure the whole wall will have adequate insulation spread and fill in, or sometimes holes will be drilled at random locations to inspect the insulation. All of these added installation access holes, inspection holes, and insulation blow in holes can be eliminated with the systems and methods disclosed herein, because all the secondary¬ panels 46 can be left off until all of these items are installed and / or inspected.

[0150] Even with the insulation blow-in holes, it can be hard to ensure that the entire wall has the same insulation density and that there are no insulation voids. Such an issue is avoided by using the systems and methods disclosed herein by using batt or BIB insulation before the cavity is closed by the secondary panels 46. In closed cavity systems, it is possible for inexperienced blow-in insulators to blow in too much insulation, sometimes pushing the opposing cavity-forming panels apart. This is avoided by usingsystems and methods disclosed herein, because without the secondary’ panels 46 closing off the wall cavity, the insulation levels of the batt insulation or BIB insulation are visible.

[0151] The systems and methods disclosed herein can also support an improved MEPI design and installation system. For instance, the two structural panel BamCore Prime Wall assembly described above has electrical and plumbing MEPI marks on the finish surface of the inside wall, such as that described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2022064952A1 and US20230089385A1, both entitled "Automated MEPI Design for Hollow Wall Construction," hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Here, the MEPI marks may be defined on the cavity' face of the primary' panels 42. and the rough-in installation of electrical and plumbing can be placed directly and exactly on top of the MEPI printed lines and marks, substantially lowering the risk of field installation errors. This allows for accurate material quantities to be calculated. This also means that the wall can be modified, cut or drilled into, etc., without fear of hitting the electrical and plumbing.

[0152] In addition, when MEPI is applied to the finish face of an interior or inside facing wall, as in the prior art two structural panel system, it is typically painted over or otherwise covered up and thus inaccessible after initial installation. Using the systems and methods disclosed herein, the MEPI marks can be printed on the cavity face of the primary panels 42, where they will stay in place and will be accessible if the wall needs to be taken apart.

[0153] Having the secondary' panel 46 be the last member installed allows for easier staging and inspection of all items. All the installation can be inspected throughout the process until the secondary’ panel(s) 46 are installed. This also makes the walls easier to fix if there is an issue, or if a building is retrofitted. The secondary panel(s) 46 can be removed after installation without having to add shoring to support horizontal framing above.

[0154] The prior art two structural panel BamCore Prime Wall assembly employs both panels to share in bearing the structural load, which in turn requires that both panels have minimum thicknesses for structural load bearing capacities. The systems and methods disclosed herein allow s material and building weight to be saved because only the primary' panel 42 is structural and the secondary panel 46 can be thinner and lighter, as discussed above.

[0155] The secondary panel 46 can also be made with different, non-structural adhesives, or with non-structural core layers that can add other attributes to the wallassembly, including but not limited to improved vapor permeance, improved acoustic attenuation, improved fire resistance, improved air tightness and lowering the carbon footprint though incorporation of faster growing but less structural biogenic fibers.

[0156] In that regard, the systems and methods disclosed herein provide all of the same benefits that the two structural panel BamCore Prime Wall assembly has over traditionally framed walls, plus it allows installation of the electrical, plumbing and insulation to occur in a similar but faster manner than traditional stud-based balloon framing.

[0157] Traditionally framed walls that rely on flange and web-based studs have similar downsides to construction as traditional framed walls because typically holes need to be drilled in the cross-cavity web (stud or post) members to allow electrical and plumbing lines to go through the wall cavity. This can be avoided using the systems and methods disclosed herein, because a continuous open path can be left or defined through the wall cavity with no solid members in the way of these trades. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5D and 6A-6E, blocking can be configured to extend only partially along the height of a prefabricated wall assembly 30.

[0158] In addition, flange and web-based studs can be modified for use in combination with the primary panel 42 by eliminating one of the flanges, with the web attached directly to the primary panel. Such modification reduces the amount of material in the flange and web-based stud, thereby reducing the thermal conductivity of the section. Using such modified studs does not decrease the required distance between studs for interior gypsum and exterior sheathing or wood panel product. Rather, when the studs are used in combination with the primary panels 42, reinforcing assembly 36, etc. of the present systems and methods, the modified studs can be placed further apart, improving thermal and acoustic properties of a prefabricated wall assembly.

[0159] As noted above, the systems and methods disclosed herein may use a mass timber panel such as cross laminated timber (CLT), mass plywood, nail laminated timber panels, and other options, as the primary panel 42. Current methods for installing electrical, plumbing and insulation in mass timber wall panels have downsides. When incorporating mass timber options into the systems and methods disclosed herein, especially nail-laminated timber, the blocking element can be an extension of one or more of the lamina in the primary panel 42 itself, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 6.

[0160] Integrated blocking for mass timber panels can provide a significant benefit over existing mass timber options. Monolithic mass timber (MT) panel walls must have a minimum thickness to avoid early vertical buckling failure of the wall assembly. This thickness is much more than is needed for the vertical load capacity of many walls they are used in. There are multiple ways to calculate minimum thickness needed for vertical load bearing elements, but one used in the wood industry is that effective length divided by the thickness of that unbraced length needs to be larger than 50. For an example scenario of a 10ft tall wall, this means that the minimum MT thickness would need to be 2.4 inches, but this can be greatly reduced by adding integrated blocking at the midspan for at least some of the height of the MT panel, similar to one or more of the examples shown in FIG. 6 and disclosed herein.

[0161] One method to install electrical and plumbing in MT panel walls is to CNC, or otherwise cut, routes in the monolithic panel so that the wires and pipes can be routed inside of the panel. This method does not allow for the use of batt insulation to insulate the wall assembly. Instead, rigid insulation must be installed to the outside face of the MT panels. Using rigid insulation adds extra components, labor, material costs and embodied carbon to the project. Cutting paths through the MT panels affects the structural integrity of the panels, and requires that the MT panels be thicker than they would need to be otherwise. Once the cuts are made in the monolithic MT panels, the cut needs to be covered or filled in after being installed.

[0162] Using a MT wall panel with a secondary wood stud framed wall to run electrical and plumbing increases the overall thickness of the wall assembly. It also would have lower thermal resistance than a wall constructed using the systems and methods disclosed herein because the wood studs take up more of the wall surface area than blocking of the reinforcing assembly 36.

[0163] MT walls with utility kits for electrical and plumbing removes the need to route or cut paths in the MT explained above, but does not solve the need for rigid insulation, and adds the need for drywall to be installed over the utility kit. The systems and methods disclosed herein solves both of these inefficiencies.

[0164] Structural insulated panels (SIPs) have many of the same challenges and installation practices as the Two Structural Panel BamCore Prime Wall Assembly described above, which are remedied by the systems and methods disclosed herein.

[0165] Various exemplar,’ aspects and benefits of the systems and methods disclosed herein will become further appreciated by the examples that follow.EXAMPLE 1

[0166] Third-party testing was conducted to assess capacities of primary’ panel out-of-plane / transverse stiffnesses for prefabricated wall assemblies constructed in the manner described herein for a range of different requirements. It is important to be able to optimize the wall out-of-plane / trans verse stiffness for a range of different requirements, because there are a larger number of serviceability deflection requirements and load scenarios for different locations, building finishes, and building importance factors. These requirements are defined in the International Building Code and ASCE-7 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

[0167] Buildings with flexible finishes can be designed for maximum wall out-of-plane deflections of the height divided by 120 (H / 120). For gypsum finishes, the maximum is H / 180, while buildings with brittle finishes need to stay under H / 240, stucco finishes below H / 360, and buildings with brick veneers can require a maximum of H / 480 according to the International Building Code. Buildings with higher risk categories, like Risk category IV buildings (essential buildings that must be designed and constructed to be capable of providing essential services to the public after a disaster) have to be designed using wind speed maps that use higher wind speeds. Buildings in different locations within the United States see higher wind speed than other locations broadly. Site specific conditions and topographic factors require different wind design loads.

[0168] The inventors have identified and third party tested different wall assemblies with nailed stiffener blocks or blocking that have a range of stiffnesses and allowable wind loads and wind speeds based on assumptions of typical building requirements. The prefabricated wall assembly configuration, vertical compressive capacity, stiffnesses, and allowable wind loads are shown in the below Table 1. The prefabricated wall assembly primary panel (load-bearing) type is set forth in column 1 of Table 1. The prefabricated wall assembly of the reinforcing assembly configuration (interior framing / blocking) is set forth in column 2 of Table 1. The tested primary panel vertical compressive average ultimate load for the prefabricated wall assemblies is set forth in column 3 of Tablet. The calculated primary panel vertical compressive allowable design capacity for the prefabricated wall assemblies is set forth in column 4 of Table ! . The tested primary panel out-of-plane / transverse stiffnesses for the prefabricated wall assemblies isset forth in column 5 of Table 1. The calculated allowable wind loads for the prefabricated wall assemblies is set forth in column 6 of Table 1.Table 1""""""""""""

[0169] Further, a few different cutoff wind load values for a wall have been identified that are needed for a number of higher speed wind zones required in the state of Florida for 2-story and below buildings of risk category II (most residential buildings are in this risk category). In Miami-Dade County in Florida, assuming site exposure C, 175 miles per hour (MPH) wind speed is required and an allowable out-of-plane loading of 58 PSF is needed. Broward County, with the same building assumptions, where 170 MHP wind speed is required, requires an allowable out-of-plane loading of 54 PSF. Moving up the state of Florida, with the same building assumptions, the following allowable out-of-plane loading at the respective required wind speeds would be: 48 PSF, 42PSF, and 34 PSF at 160 MPH, 150 MPH, and 135 MPH, respectively, with Marion County covered by 135 MPH design. These wall load requirements have overlap with the same regions but site exposure B, however at 150 MPH the allowable out-of-plane loading is 30 PSF, and at 135 MPH the allowable out-of-plane loading is 25 PSF.

[0170] As the blocking gets shorter, the capacity drops off more quickly and there is less room for optimization with blocks attached by fasteners, so going below 25 PSF w ind speed requirements, walls having blocking configurations designed to meet or exceed interior stiffnesses of standard framed walls with gypsum finishes becomes the constraining design factor.

[0171] The wall assemblies set forth in Table 1 have a higher calculated allowable wind load for shorter walls, approximately 39% higher for 9ft walls and approximately 100% higher for 8ft walls. As can be appreciated from the test results set forth in Table 1 and the calculated higher allowable wind loads for shorter walls, prefabricated wall assemblies constructed in accordance with the systems and methods described herein can use a range of primary panel configurations / stiffnesses and blocking configurations, and combinations thereof.

[0172] For gypsum finished, prefabricated wall assemblies betw een 8 and 10 ft tall, formed in accordance with the systems described herein between wind speeds of 160 MPH and 135 MPH, the stiffness requirement can be achieved by a 2x6 stiffener block (also called "blocking" herein) spaced a 4ft intervals extending between 60% and 90% of the w all height on center. To reach the 170 and 175 MPH range, full height 2x6 stiffener blocks spaced at 4ft intervals is required, or shorter stiffener blocks 2x6 blocking at closer spacing intervals could be used, but it is less material efficient. Additionally, 2x4 full heightstiffener blocks spaced at 4ft on center can be used for gypsum finished prefabricated wall assemblies between 8 and 10 ft tall, up to 160 MPH wind speeds if the building site is exposure B, and 75% height can be used at 135 MPH and less, making it a useful assembly for northern Florida and most of the rest of the United States.EXAMPLE 2

[0173] Stiffness requirements can become much larger than the above stated values. For instance, a taller building used in the same 175 MPH wind speed, or a building that has more extreme exposure variables may need to be designed to support over 110 PSF wind force. A building using brick veneers can also require 62.5% less deflection. Hitting these requirements using prefabricated wall assemblies constructed in accordance with the systems described herein would require blocking at much closer spacing, thicker blocking, and / or thicker primary panels if using the same fastened (e.g., nails) blocking connections. However, if the blocking is adhered to the primary7panels, or the primary7panels are made with thicker sections as an integral part of the panel manufacturing (like that described with reference to FIGS. 6A-6E), then it is possible to make a much stiffer prefabricated wall assembly with the same or less panel and blocking materials.

[0174] As an example, the capacity7of a prefabricated w all assembly having one 46.5 inch wide by 1.25-inch-thick Bamboo primary panel using Dendrocalamus asper bamboo, with a panel modulus of elasticity of 2.64xlOA6 and a full height stiffener block 2.95 inches deep by71.75 inches wide, with modulus of elasticity7of 2.05xl0A6 psi was calculated using various blocking scenarios. The connection between the primary7panel and the stiffener block can have a very7large effect on the stiffness and capacity7of the primary panel. Based on calculations in BS EN 1995-1-1 for Mechanically Jointed Beams, using fasteners alone as the connection between the primary panel and the stiffener block, the shear stiffness between the panel and block is limited, and there is only 3% composite action between the two elements when using #14 screws every73 inches. This gives a resulting prefabricated wall assembly stiffness El effective of 4.05xl0A7 lb-inA2. and an estimated allowable buckling capacity of 2233 pounds per foot for a 9ft tall wall. However, if the same stiffener block is structurally7adhered to the same primary panel with adhesives, full composite action can happen, giving a resulting prefabricated wall assembly stiffness El effective of 7.13xlOA7 lb-inA2, and an estimated allowable buckling capacity of 7608 pounds per foot. Thus, using an adhesive connection between the stiffener block and the primary panel can likely increase the out-of-plane stiffness of the primary panel in thisexample by 76% and increase the primary panel compressive capacity by 241% compared a fastener connection.

[0175] Actual tests were carried out for a prefabricated wall assembly having a primary panel with the above-referenced primary panel material properties and blocking secured to the primary' panel with adhesive (and specifically, glue). A wood structural, cold curing two-part isoset adhesive produced by Bostik (WD3-A322 / CX-47) as the adhesive for a full height stiffener block. A cold setting adhesive was used because of limited access to other pressing options due to the thickness of the materials being used in this type of assembly. A cold curing or radio frequency curing adhesive would be ideal, because using a heat cured adhesive where the heat must propagate through a 1.25" thick panel to reach the glue line would likely take over an hour of pressing time. Two-part adhesives can take less than 20 minutes, and radio frequency curing adhesives can take a matter of minutes. The Bostik adhesive used in the test has a cure time of betw een 30 and 60 minutes.

[0176] Results of the test are set forth below in Table 2. The prefabricated wall assembly was tested in transverse bending in an ASTM E72 tests. A picture showing a part of the transverse bending test is provided in FIG. 20. As can be seen, a prefabricated wall assembly having a primary panel with a stiffener block by adhesive connection achieved a stiffness of 7.28x10A7 lb-inA2 (see column 4), which is 2.2% higher than the anticipated calculated adhesive connection stiffness as discussed above. Accordingly, this test shows that the above-described capacity calculation for the adhesive connection prefabricated wall assembly configuration has merit. The prefabricated w all assembly was then tested in vertical compression in an ASTM E72 test with the results set forth in column 5. A picture showing a part of the vertical compression test is provided in FIG. 21. The adhesive connection prefabricated wall assembly resulted in an allowable load of approximately 8000 Ib / ft, which is also very close to the calculated buckling capacity, showing that the estimated allowable buckling capacity calculation method also has merit.Table 2.

[0177] The large increase in composite action and stiffness using a glued connection, as well as the reduced in-field work required for attachment of the stiffener block to the primary panel, will help reduce the materials and labor to optimize a prefabricated wall assembly constructed in accordance with the systems disclosed herein for different stiffness and wind requirements, as well as vertical compressive capacities needed for different building layouts.

[0178] Moreover, increasing the stiffener block thickness from 2.95 inches, as used in the test, to 5.5 inches can increase the stiffness of the primary panel by an additional 3x to about 2.3x10A8. However, stiffness may not be the constraining variable. Rather, the shear strength at the glued blocking connection will become an important consideration. Increased shear strength can be achieved by increasing the width of the blocking, decreasing the spacing between blocks, or creating custom shapes that have increased cross sectional area at the highest shear stress locations to prevent structural failure. A picture showing blocking connection shear failure is provided in FIG. 22. A picture that shows a wood stiffener block sheared off of a primary panel during testing is provided in FIG. 23.

[0179] Thus, as can be appreciated from the results set forth in Examples 1 and 2 above, a prefabricated wall assemblies constructed in accordance with the systems and methods described herein may be adapted to support various load conditions andrequirements. Various different combinations of primary panel configurations / stiffnesses and blocking are available for building and wall design.EXAMPLE 3

[0180] Tests were conducted to determine the performance of a secondary panel for a prefabricated wall assembly made in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. The secondary panel was tested under various load conditions and compared to the performance of a typical gypsum interior panel of a building wall.Secondary ESC Panel Test

[0181] The secondary panel was 0.75 inch (19mm) thick, formed from Eucalyptus grandis face (outer) layers and loblolly pine core layers (hereinafter "secondary ESC panel"). The secondary ESC panel was used to construct a 10ft tall x 8ft long prototype prefabricated wall assembly in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. The prototype prefabricated wall assembly included the secondary7ESC panel secured to a 1.25 -inch primary panel constructed with the bamboo species Dendrocalamus barbatus (Luong) (hereinafter "primary Luong panel"). The secondary ESC panel was secured to the primary Luong panel with fasteners through #2 Douglas Fir 2 x 4 blocking. The 2 x 4 blocking was half of the height of the panels (similar to what is shown in FIG. 5 A), centered along the height of the panels, and spaced along the length of the panels every 48 inches. A picture of the protype primary Luong panel having the 2 x 4 blocking secured thereto with 0.131 inch diameter by 3.25 inch long nails spaced at 6 inches on center is show n in FIG. 13.

[0182] A distributed load test was conducted with the prototype prefabricated wall assembly laying flat with the primary Luong panel facing down and supported by studs / cinder blocks. A distributed load was applied to the secondary ESC panel using concrete blocks spaced along the face of the secondary ESC panel every712 inches. A picture showing a part of the distributed load test for the secondary ESC panel is provided in FIG. 14.

[0183] Deflection measurements were taken using a string potentiometer underneath the wall assembly. The results of the secondary ESC panel test under various distributed loads are set forth in Table 3 below.Table 3.Secondary ESC Panel Distributed Load TestL / 1008 8' wallL / 513 10’ wall

[0184] As can be appreciated, the secondary ESC panel on the prototype prefabricated building 10ft wall only had a calculated deflection of L / 513 with a 5 PSF applied load. A deflection of L / 180 is typically required, so the prototype prefabricated building 1 Oft wall performed better than required.

[0185] A point load test was conducted with the prototype prefabricated wall assembly laying flat with the primary' Luong panel facing down and supported by studs / cinder blocks. A point load was applied to the secondary ESC panel using stacked concrete blocks at the center point between two stiffener blocks. A picture showing a part of the point load test for the secondary' ESC panel is provided in FIG. 15.

[0186] Deflection measurements were taken using string potentiometers. The results of the secondary ESC panel test under various point loads are set forth in Table 4 below.Table 4.Secondary ESC Panel Point Load Test200interpolated 2001bL / 484 8'L / 308 10'Load for L / 180 537.5747549Load for L / 180 342.6037824

[0187] As can be appreciated, the secondary ESC panel on the prototype prefabricated building 10ft wall only had a calculated deflection of L / 308 with a 200 lb point load, which isn't specifically required for interior walls, but it can be required for certain cases like for grab bar installation.Gypsum Panel Test

[0188] The gypsum panel was 0.50 inch thick, and it was secured with fasteners to a 95 inch span stud frame constructed with #2 Douglas Fir 2 x 4 studs, spaced 16 inches on center. A picture of the stud frame is shown in FIG. 16.

[0189] A distributed load test was conducted with the gypsum faced stud frame wall laying flat with the gypsum facing up and supported by studs / cinder blocks. A distributed load was applied to the gypsum panel using concrete blocks spaced along the face of the gypsum panel every 12 inches. A picture showing a part of the distributed load test for the gypsum panel is provided in FIG. 17.

[0190] Deflection measurements were taken using string potentiometers. The results of the gypsum panel test under various distributed loads are set forth in Table 5 below.Table 5.Gypsum Panel Distributed Load TestL / 1352 8'L / 688 10'

[0191] As can be appreciated, the gypsum on the stud frame had a calculated deflection of L / 688 with a 5 PSF applied load.

[0192] A point load test was conducted with the gypsum faced stud frame wall laying flat with the gypsum facing up and supported by studs / cinder blocks. A point load was applied to the gypsum panel using stacked or grouped concrete blocks at the center point between two wood studless, as shown in the pictures of FIGS. 18 and 19, respectively.

[0193] Deflection measurements were taken using string potentiometers. The results of the gypsum panel test under various point loads are set forth in Table 6 below.Table 6.Point Load TestBroke before2001bL / 311 8'L / 199 10’

[0194] As can be appreciated, the gypsum panel on the stud frame wall had a calculated deflection of L / 199 with a 200 lb point load. However, the gypsum panel had a punch through failure below 221 lbs (see also FIG. 19).

[0195] Table 7 set forth below provide comparisons (% deflection) between the secondary ESC panel and the gypsum panel for the distributed load tests. Table 8 set forth below provide comparisons (% deflection) between the secondary ESC panel and the gypsum panel for the point load tests.Table 7.Secondary ESC panel movement / gypsum panel movement for distributed loadsTable 8.Secondary ESC panel movement / gypsum panel movement for point loadsstiffness154% increase

[0196] Notably, the point load for the secondary ESC panel had 65% of the deflection of a traditional wall with gypsum, making it feel more stable. Moreover, as can be appreciated by comparing the results set forth in Tables 2 and 4 set forth above, the secondary ESC panel had no point load failure all the way up to a 257 lb point load (the max load attempted), while the gypsum wall failed below 221 lbs (see also FIG. 19).

[0197] Thus, a secondary panel for a prefabricated wall assembly made in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein unexpectedly performs better under various load conditions than a typical gypsum interior panel of a building wall.

[0198] FIG. 25 is a block diagram that illustrates aspects of an exemplary' computing device 300 appropriate for use as a computing device of the present disclosure. While multiple different types of computing devices were discussed above, the exemplary computing device 300 describes various elements that are common to many different types of computing devices. While FIG. 21 is described with reference to a computing device that is implemented as a device on a network, the description below is applicable to servers, personal computers, mobile phones, smart phones, tablet computers, embedded computing devices, and other devices that may be used to implement portions of examples of the present disclosure. Moreover, those of ordinary skill in the art and others will recognizethat the computing device 300 may be any one of any number of currently available or yet to be developed devices.

[0199] In its most basic configuration, the computing device 300 includes at least one processor 302 and a system memory 304 connected by a communication bus 306. Depending on the exact configuration and t pe of device, the system memory 304 may be volatile or nonvolatile memory, such as read only memory ("ROM"), random access memory ("RAM"), EEPROM, flash memory', or similar memory technology. Those of ordinary skill in the art and others will recognize that system memory 304 ty pically stores data and / or program modules that are immediately accessible to and / or currently being operated on by the processor 302. In this regard, the processor 302 may serve as a computational center of the computing device 300 by supporting the execution of instructions.

[0200] As further illustrated in FIG. 25, the computing device 300 may include a network interface 310 comprising one or more components for communicating with other devices over a network. Examples of the present disclosure may access basic services that utilize the network interface 310 to perform communications using common network protocols. The network interface 310 may also include a wireless network interface configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication protocols, such as Wi-Fi, 2G. 3G, LTE, WiMAX, Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy, and / or the like. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary' skill in the art, the netw ork interface 310 illustrated in FIG. 21 may represent one or more wireless interfaces or physical communication interfaces described and illustrated above with respect to particular components of the system 100.

[0201] In the example depicted in FIG. 25, the computing device 300 also includes a storage medium 308. However, services may be accessed using a computing device that does not include means for persisting data to a local storage medium. Therefore, the storage medium 308 depicted in FIG. 21 is represented with a dashed line to indicate that the storage medium 308 is optional. In any event, the storage medium 308 may be volatile or nonvolatile, removable or nonremovable, implemented using any technology7capable of storing information such as, but not limited to, a hard drive, solid state drive, CD ROM, DVD, or other disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and / or the like.

[0202] As used herein, the term "computer readable medium" includes volatile and non-volatile and removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology capable of storing information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. In this regard, the system memory' 304 and storage medium 308 depicted in FIG. 21 are merely examples of computer readable media.

[0203] Suitable implementations of computing devices that include a processor 302, system memory 304, communication bus 306, storage medium 308, and network interface 310 are known and commercially available. For ease of illustration and because it is not important for an understanding of the claimed subject matter, FIG. 21 does not show some of the typical components of many computing devices. In this regard, the computing device 300 may include input devices, such as a keyboard, keypad, mouse, microphone, touch input device, touch screen, tablet, and / or the like. Such input devices may be coupled to the computing device 300 by wired or wireless connections including RF, infrared, serial, parallel, Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy, USB, or other suitable connections protocols using wireless or physical connections. Similarly, the computing device 300 may also include output devices such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. Since these devices are w ell known in the art, they are not illustrated or described further herein.

[0204] Referring to FIGS. 26-29, examples of wall assembly portions having various framing constructions will now be described to illustrate how a wall assembly formed in accordance herein provides benefits over standard prefabricated and traditional wall assemblies. In general, a wall assembly formed in accordance herein may use less lumber than traditional or advanced stick framing while increasing relative load capacity, optimizing insulation capacity and electrical insulation, and optimizing flexibility for supporting vertical loads (e.g., rafters, joists, and beams). FIG. 26 depicts an example of a wall assembly portion 438 constructed with traditional stick framing techniques. The exemplary wall assembly portion 438 shown in FIG. 26 uses full height 2x4 inch structural studs every’ twelve inches on center, and additional (repeated) blocking is used to support a window opening and vertical loads. Specifically, an additional full height king stud 439 extends vertically along each side of a window, and a plurality of jack or cripple studs 441 extend between a top or bottom of a window and the top or bottom plate, respectively of the w all assembly portion. A header 451 extends between full height king studs 439 above a window opening. A door opening is similar supported.

[0205] The exemplary wall assembly portion 438 shown in FIG. 26 includes a double top plate configuration. In that manner, any breaks in a first top plate can be appropriately offset with breaks in the other, second top plate. As such, a rafter, joist, beam, etc. can be placed anywhere on the double top plate assembly. In other words, a rafter, joist, beam, etc. does not have to be aligned with a full height vertical stud because the double top plate assembly has suitable load capacity.

[0206] FIG. 27 depicts the exemplary wall assembly portion 438 shown in FIG. 26 with framing calculations performed in accordance with the California Energy' Commission document. As can be seen, the exemplary wall assembly portion 438, which is constructed with traditional stick framing techniques, has a window framing area of 12% and a door framing area of 7%. The gross area defined by the wall assembly portion 438 is 34285.71 square inches (in2), and with the combined window and door area (fenestration area) of 6516.00 in2, the net area, also referred to as opaque area, of the w all assembly portion 438 is 27769.71 in2. Net area defined by the wall assembly portion 438 is gross area -fenestration area). With the framing material area totaling 7982.21 in2the framing factor (FF) of the net / opaque area, or the ratio of framing area to the net area, is about 28.74%.

[0207] FIG. 28 depicts an example of a w all assembly portion 538 constructed w ith advanced stick framing techniques. The exemplary wall assembly portion 538 shown in FIG. 28 uses full height 2x6 inch structural studs that are spaced twenty-four inches on center. Advanced stick framing may be used to reduce the amount of lumber used for supporting the wall portion compared to traditional stick framing yet meeting the minimum load-bearing requirements of stick framing. However, advanced stick framing requires 2x6 inch structural studs rather than 2x4 inch structural studs. When spacing the studs to 24 inches on center, vertical and transverse capacities go down by about one-third (1 / 3) compared to traditional stick framing techniques. Accordingly, 2X6 lumber, rather than 2X4 lumber, is used. Thus, more lumber is used per stud compared to traditional stick framing.

[0208] Further, the exemplary wall assembly portion 538 constructed with advanced stick framing techniques uses only a single top plate assembly to reduce lumber. A single top plate assembly is not sufficiently stiff to withstand the loads of trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. in locations between studs spaced 24" apart. In that regard, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. must be aligned with a full height vertical stud because a double top plate assembly is not used. Additional full height vertical studs can be used in thedesired location of the trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc., if alignment is not possible. Thus, using a single top plate can increase material and labor costs for the vertical framing.

[0209] Moreover, even with alignment with a full height vertical stud, single top plates may be tied together with a strap, plate, or additional lumber to withstand tension forces. In other words, even with alignment with a full height vertical stud, there are other reasons a single top plate will add additional lumber or hardware to a building when using advanced framing techniques. The top plate of a wall assembly in a building will have tension and compression forces along the length of the top plate from building chord and collector forces. When a single top plate does not extend the full length of a wall line between perpendicular shear walls in a building, it must have a tension connection between the two separate pieces to prevent them from pulling apart. A single top plate must also have a compression connection between the two adjacent parts, or the two separate parts must be in direct contact to transfer compression forces. A single top plate parts may be tied together with a strap, plate, or additional lumber to withstand tension forces, where the strap or additional lumber have attachment points forming a shear force transfer from the top plate to the additional member to transfer tension and compression forces to that member.

[0210] Additional blocking is also needed to support window and door openings. Specifically, full height king studs 539 are located on each side of a window or door opening. Jack or trim studs 540 extend between the bottom of a header and the bottom plate of the wall assembly. Cripple studs 541 extend between a bottom of a window and a bottom plate of the wall assembly portion. A header 551 extends above the window' or door opening between the full height studs. Additional blocking would be needed to support hold downs and other specific loads.

[0211] FIG. 29 depicts the exemplary wall assembly portion 538 shown in FIG. 28 w ith framing calculations performed in accordance with the California Energy Commission document. As can be seen, the exemplary wall assembly portion 538. which is constructed with advanced stick framing techniques, has a window framing area of 12%, a door framing area of 7%, and a gross area defined by the wall assembly portion 638 is 34285.71 in2, like the traditional stick framing exemplary' wall assembly portion 438 of FIGS. 26 and 27. The gross area defined by the wall assembly portion 538 is 34285.71 in2, fenestration area of 6516.00 in2giving a net area of 27769.71 in2. With the full depth framing material totaling 4778.89 in2and the header framing area totaling 702.63 in2, the framing area is17.21% of the net area of the exemplary wall assembly portion 538, and the header define 2.53% of the net area of the exemplary wall assembly portion 538 with a combined framing factor of 19.74%. In advanced framing sometimes the header area is not full depth and only partial depth counts towards the framing factor, but that is ignored in the above framing factor number.

[0212] FIG. 30 depicts an example of a wall assembly portion constructed with standard stick framing techniques, similar to wall assembly portion 438 but with only a single window opening. The exemplary wall assembly portion shown in FIG. 30 uses full height 2x6 structural studs every' sixteen inches on center, although the studs may instead be spaced every twenty-four inches on center per advanced framing specifications. The window opening is supported by full height king studs, jack studs and cripple studs, as discussed above with respect to the exemplary' wall assembly' portion 538 of FIG. 28. Two full height studs are located at each end of the w all assembly portion to connect to hold downs. Further, a double top plate assembly is used, so trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. need not be aligned with a full height vertical stud.

[0213] FIG. 31 depicts an example of a wall assembly portion 638 constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure (a "prefabricated building panel wall assembly" or "PBPWA"). In that regard, the wall assembly portion 638 is constructed with a plurality of prefabricated primary panel(s) 642 having suitable vertical and transverse load-bearing capacities to support the w'all portion for dry-in or later w'ithout the need for a secondary' panel. Further, a suitable reinforcing or blocking assembly is used in accordance with that described above.

[0214] For instance, the exemplary wall assembly portion 638 shown in FIG. 31 uses partial height vertical blocking members 635 (e.g., studs having a length that is 75% of the wall assembly height) that are spaced four feet on center. In the example show n, the first partial height vertical blocking members 635 have a thickness that extends between the primary panel(s) 642 and a secondary panel for comparison to the exemplary wall assembly portion 438 constructed using traditional stick framing techniques and exemplary wall assembly portion 538 constructed using advanced stick framing techniques. However, it should be appreciated that the first partial height vertical blocking members 635 may instead have a thickness that extends only partially between the primary panel(s) 642 and a secondary panel.

[0215] Second partial height vertical blocking members 637 are located on each side of a door opening. Horizontal blocking members also extend above and below each window opening and above the door opening, as they do with the exemplary wall assembly portion 538 constructed using advanced stick framing techniques. However, by using a primary' panel(s) 642 having vertical and transverse load-bearing capacities as discussed herein, no header is needed above the window or door opening and cripple above / below an opening can be eliminated, and no and jack studs are needed for vertical support of the header. Rather, portions of the primary' panel(s) 642 extending vertically along each side of the window or door opening support any portion of the primary panel(s) 642 extending horizontally across each top and / or bottom of the window or door opening.

[0216] Further, only a single top plate assembly is needed given the load-bearing capacity of the primary' panel(s) 642. In other words, the primary panel(s) 642 provide direct vertical load support to structural members above, like trusses and joists, and provide tension support at locations where the single top plate is not continuous and needs a tension connection between adjacent top plate pieces. In that regard, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. may be placed at any horizontal position along the primary' panel(s) 642. Moreover, a primary' panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly . The first and second adjacent top plates may be fastened directly to the primary panel, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber.

[0217] FIG. 33 depicts an example of a wall assembly portion constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure (a PBPWA). The wall assembly portion shown in FIG. 33 constructed as a PBPWA is similar to the wall assembly portion shown in FIG. 30 constructed with advanced stick framing techniques in that it includes only a single window opening. The exemplary' w'all assembly portion shown in FIG. 33 uses partial height vertical blocking members (e.g., studs having a length that is 75% of the wall assembly height) that are spaced four feet on center having a thickness that extends between the primary’ panel(s) and a secondary panel. Stiffener blocks may be used where needed to provide additional stiffness and support for a secondary' panel mounted thereto. No additional vertical or horizontal blocking members are needed to support the window opening, as is needed with a wall assembly portion using advanced stick framing techniques. Further, only a single top plate assembly is used, yet trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc., need not be aligned with a full height vertical stud given the load bearing capacities of the primary' panels.

[0218] FIG. 32 depicts the exemplary wall assembly portion 638 shown in FIG. 31 with framing calculations performed in accordance with the California Energy Commission document. As can be seen, the exemplary wall assembly portion 638, which is constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure, has a window- framing area of 12%, a door framing area of 7%, and a gross area, fenestration area, and net area defined by the wall assembly portion 638 are 34286 in2.6516.00 in2and 27769.71 irrespectively, like the traditional and advanced stick framing exemplary wall assembly portions 438 and 538 of FIGS. 26 / 27 and 28-30, respectively. The area defined by framing material totals 2149 in2, so the framing factor of the wall assembly portion 638 is 7.74%.

[0219] As can be appreciated by comparing the exemplar}' wall assembly portion 638 shown in FIGS. 31 and 32 wdth the exemplary wall assembly portion 538 shown in FIG. 28 and 29, significantly less lumber is used to construct a wall assembly¬ portion using prefabricated building panel structures (a PBPWA) according to various aspects of the present disclosure (FIGS. 31 and 32) compared to using advanced stick framing techniques (FIGS. 28 and 29). Moreover, when a single top plate assembly is used for a wall assembly portion using advanced stick framing techniques, as with the exemplary' wall assembly portion 538 shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. must be aligned with a full height vertical stud because a double top plate assembly is not used. By using a wall assembly portion constructed as a PBPWA, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. may be placed along any horizontal position along the primary panel(s) 642. Moreover, a primary panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly. The first and second adjacent top plates may be fastened directly to the primary panel, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber.

[0220] However, a wall assembly portion constructed using advanced stick framing techniques has the benefit of being configured for use with gypsum or similar nonload bearing material. Specifically, building code or gypsum requirements specify that stud spacing cannot exceed tw enty-four inches (24in) on center, such as may7be used with advanced stick framing techniques. However, as discussed above by comparing the framing requirements for advanced stick framing versus a PBPWA, advanced stick framing requires significantly more lumber. The additional lumber requirements also equates to an increased amount of labor and embodied carbon using advanced stick framing techniques.

[0221] An exemplary wall assembly portion 738 that is configured for use with gypsum or a similar non-load bearing material, but that reduces the amount of lumber and labor that is used with advanced stick framing techniques, will now be described with reference to FIG. 34. Generally, the exemplary' wall assembly portion 738 is constructed similar to a wall assembly portion using prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure (see FIGS. 31 and 32). In that regard, the exemplary wall assembly portion 738 includes a primary panel(s) 742 having transverse and vertical load-bearing capacities to support the wall assembly portion without the use of a secondary panel. However, the exemplary' wall assembly portion 738 has a reinforcing assembly that is modified to be suitable for use with gypsum (a "modified PBPWA").

[0222] Moreover, although "modified prefabricated building panel wall assembly" or "modified PBPWA" may be used to reference a wall assembly' portion that includes a primary' panel and a modified reinforcing assembly (and suitable connection assemblies) suitable for use with gypsum, the term "prefabricated" should not be seen as limiting. For instance, the secondary panel of the wall assembly portion, which may be defined by gypsum or similar, is not typically "prefabricated". Rather, gypsum is often cut to specification on site. However, other aspects of the wall assembly portion have the benefits of prefabrication, so in that regard, the wall assembly portions described herein that include primary panels and are suitable for use with gypsum or similar may simply be referred to as a "modified PBPWA" or the like. Thus, as noted above, the term "prefabricated" or the like should not be seen as limiting.

[0223] In the example shown, the exemplary modified PBPWA wall assembly portion 738 uses full height 2x4 inch vertical structural studs that are spaced twenty-four inches on center. As noted above, building code or gypsum requirements specify that vertical stud spacing cannot exceed twenty -four inches (24in) on center. However, unlike advanced stick framing, which requires 2x6 inch full height vertical structural studs, smaller 2x4 inch vertical structural studs may be used with the exemplary wall assembly portion 738. In that regard, the inventors have found that a prefabricated wall assembly portion formed using a primary panel, as described herein, and the 2X4 vertical partial or full height studs spaced 24" on center for gy psum attachment provides higher transverse and vertical load capacities than an advanced framing wall assembly portion using 2X6 vertical studs spaced 24" apart. Accordingly, in the exemplary PBPWA wall assemblyportion 738, less lumber and embodied carbon is used per stud compared to advanced stick framing wall assembly portions.

[0224] Moreover, although full height 2x4 inch vertical structural studs are shown for the exemplary modified PBPWA wall assembly portion 738, in some examples, partial height vertical blocking members (e g., studs extending about 75% of the height of the wall assembly portion, such as shown in FIGS. 85 and 86) may be used. Partial height vertical blocking members can provide the advantage of increased insulation compared to advanced framing wall assembly portions because the thermal conductivity is reduced and insulation capacity is increased. Further, electrical installation becomes more efficient with horizontal gaps in the blocking members. Finally, less lumber results in a reduced embodied carbon. However, using full height vertical studs can be less time consuming to install and use for gypsum connections. Accordingly, in some examples, full height structural studs, as shown in FIG. 34, may be used for modified PBPWA.

[0225] The exemplary’ modified PBPWA wall assembly portion 738 that is configured for use with gypsum or a similar non-load bearing material, but that reduces the amount of lumber and labor that is used with advanced stick framing techniques, may also use only a single top plate assembly to reduce lumber. However, unlike with advanced stick framing techniques, in the exemplary wall assembly portion 738, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. need not be aligned with a full height vertical stud because the primary panel(s) 742 has the necessary transverse and vertical load-bearing capacities to support trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. Moreover, a primary panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly. The first and second adjacent top plates may be fastened directly to the primary panel, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber.

[0226] Additional blocking is also not needed to support window and door openings. By using a primary panel(s) 642 having vertical and transverse load-bearing capacities as discussed herein, no header is needed above the window or door opening and cripple or jack studs above / below an opening can be eliminated. For instance, only a single full height stud 739 (which may optionally be partial height) is located on each side of a window’ or door opening for gypsum attachment and window' framing. No header or jack or cripple studs are needed because portions of the primary panel(s) 742 extending vertically along each side of the window or door opening support any portion of the primary panel(s) 642 extending horizontally across each top and / or bottom of the window or dooropening. A single horizontal blocking member, such as a 2X4 stud, extends above and below each window opening and above the door opening for gypsum attachment and window framing.

[0227] FIG. 35 depicts the exemplary modified PBPWA wall assembly portion 738 shown in FIG. 34 with framing calculations performed in accordance with the California Energy Commission document. As can be seen, the exemplary modified PBPWA wall assembly portion 738, which is constructed with prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure (including a primary panel), has a window framing area of 12%, a door framing area of 7%, and a gross area, fenestration area, and net area defined by the wall assembly portion 638 are 34286 in2, 6516.00 in2and 27769.71 irrespectively, like the traditional and advanced stick framing exemplary wall assembly portions 438 and 538 of FIGS. 26 / 27 and 28-30, respectively, as well as the modified PBPWA exemplary7wall assembly portion 638 of FIGS. 31 / 32.

[0228] The area defined by framing material totals 3045 in2, so the framing factor of the wall assembly portion 538 is 10.97%. Having a lower framing factor in the wall means the area of the wall with now windows or doors can have a higher percentage of the wall filled with insulation resulting in a better insulated, more thermally efficient wall assembly, lower heating and cooling requirements, less energy usage, and smaller carbon footprint during the operation of the building. Wood framing has a thermal resistance value (R-value) that varies by wood type and density, but is assumed to be 0.99 ft2 °F h / BTU per inch of thickness, while fiberglass insulation can have an R-value of 4.2 ft2 °F h / BTU per inch of thickness. As such, the insulated portion of the net wall area has 76.4% ( (1-(l / 4.20) / (l / 0.99))*100) less thermal conductivity (U-value) and less energy loss than the framing factor portion of the net wall area, where thermal conductivity is the inverse of thermal resistance (U-value = 1 / R-value).

[0229] As can be appreciated by comparing the modified PBPWA exemplary7wall assembly portion 738 shown in FIGS. 35 with the advanced stick framing exemplary wall assembly portion 538 shown in FIG. 29, significantly less lumber is used to construct a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion compared to using advanced stick framing techniques. Moreover, when a single top plate assembly is used for a wall assembly portion using advanced stick framing techniques, as with the exemplary all assembly portion 538 shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. must be aligned with a full height vertical stud because a double top plate assembly is not used. By using a modifiedPBPWA wall assembly portion, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. may be placed along any horizontal position along the primary panel(s) 642. Moreover, a primary panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly. The first and second adjacent top plates may be fastened directly to the primary panel, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber.

[0230] FIG. 36 depicts an example of a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion. The modified PBPWA wall assembly portion shown in FIG. 36 is similar to the wall assembly portion shown in FIGS. 27 and 30 constructed with traditional and advanced stick framing techniques and like the PBPWA of FIG. 33 in that it includes only a single window opening. The exemplary modified PBPWA wall assembly portion shown in FIG. 36 uses full height 2X6 vertical blocking members or studs that are spaced two feet on center and have a thickness that extends betw een the primary panel(s) and a secondary' panel, but can also use 2X4 vertical blocking members instead of 2X6 vertical blocking members. However, as noted above, partial height vertical blocking members (e.g., studs having a length that is 75% of the wall assembly height) may instead be used, or nearly full length blocking can be used w ith a gap of 10 inches or less at the top and bottom of the w all to allow the use of gy psum panels with edge nail spacing of 12 inches on center direction to the blocking and plates, but keeping a gap to reduce FF and allow easier electrical and plumbing installation.

[0231] With the exemplary' modified PBPWA wall assembly portion shown in FIG.36, 2X4 inch studs, rather than 2X6 inch studs, may be used. Moreover, no additional vertical or horizontal blocking members are needed to support the window opening, as is needed with a wall assembly portion using traditional or advanced stick framing techniques. Further, only a single top plate assembly is used, yet trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc., need not be aligned with a full height vertical stud given the load bearing capacities of the primary panels. Moreover, the primary’ panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber.

[0232] In some examples, a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion may use vertical and / or horizontal blocking members as needed to provide the necessary stiffness for the gypsum panel while minimizing the volume / number of blocking members. For instance, a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion may use vertical structural blockingmembers every’ four feet on center, like the PBPWA wall assembly portion described above with respect to FIG. 31. and non-structural blocking or gypsum connection points may be located every 24" in between the vertical blocking members (see FIG. 49 for exemplary vertical blocking spacing). For instance, the gy psum connection points may be defined by C-channeled metal clips or standoffs that extend between the primary panel(s) 742 and the gypsum. In some examples, partial height vertical structural blocking members spaced every' four feet on center may be interspersed with gypsum connection points extending between the partial height vertical structural blocking members and the top or bottom plate (see FIG. 49 for exemplary' vertical blocking height and vertical spacing). Thus, the illustrations and descriptions provided herein should not be seen as limiting.

[0233] In general, a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion maximizes the distances between vertical studs to minimize the framing materials used while still providing the necessary' spacing / attachment points for gypsum and while still providing the benefits of a prefabricated wall portion that can be supported by only the primary panel. Further, only a single top plate assembly is necessary without the need to align trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc., with a full height vertical stud. Moreover, the primary panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber. Yet further, the modified PBPWA wall assembly provides increased transverse and vertical load capacity compared to a similarly design wall assembly portion constructed with advanced framing techniques. Yet further, the modified PBPWA wall assembly provides flexibility' in configuration for increased insulation capacity, ease of electrical installation and modification, and increased available living space without increasing the overall footprint of a building or room (e.g., by using 2X4 studs rather than 2X6 studs in advanced framing). As building or occupancy fees and taxes are typically based on building footprint / external walls, a larger livable space for the same building footprint / extemal walls effectively costs less per square foot.

[0234] A modified PBPWA wall assembly portion formed in accordance with examples disclosed herein may incorporate any relevant features or connection assemblies of the wall assembly portions using prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In that regard, a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion may be used with any suitable primary panel(s) described herein, including a designation of certain panel configurations for certain portions of a wall assembly. Alongthe same lines, a modified PBPWA wall assembly portion may be used with any suitable reinforcing assemblies or features described herein, including a designation of certain reinforcing assembly configurations for certain portions of a wall assembly.

[0235] Examples of various connection assemblies configured for use with a wall assembly portion using prefabricated building panel structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., a PBPWA wall assembly and / or a modified PBPWA wall assembly or any example provided herein) will now be described with reference to FIGS.37-49.

[0236] In examples described herein, substantially all vertical load is handled by the primary panel of the wall assembly portion using prefabricated building panel structures. For instance, the primary panel may be configured to support the loads of trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. In that regard, the loads need not be aligned with a full height vertical stud given the load bearing capacities of the primary panels. Moreover, the primary panel can be used to secure together first and second adjacent top plates at a joint of a single top plate assembly, eliminating any separate connection plate or piece of lumber.

[0237] The primary panels may be 1" thick, 1.25" thick, 1.75" thick, etc. A thinner primary panel reduces costs and carbon footprint and increases insulation capacity7, among other benefits. Further, a single top plate is preferably used for the wall assembly portion to reduce lumber and increase thermal insulation. As a result, there is less bearing area for compression loads compared to traditional stick framing configurations. Further, typical uplift connections have different capacities that may not be suitable for withstanding tension forces imposed on the primary panel by the trusses, rafters, joists, beams, etc. The various connection assemblies described herein can also be used to increase or otherwise define suitable compression and tension load capacities at the intersection of the load and the primary panel.

[0238] Exemplary truss-to-primary panel connection assemblies, or simply "truss connection assemblies," will now be described with reference to FIGS. 37-39. Generally, the exemplary truss connection assemblies are suitable for managing compression and / or tension loads at a contact point(s) of a truss and a primary panel. In some cases, primary panel fibers crush under the load of the truss at the contact point of the truss and the primary panel. The truss connection assembly is configured to distribute loads of the truss to minimize or eliminate truss fiber, or truss and panel crushing at the contact point(s). Itshould be noted that the truss connection assemblies described herein may instead be used as joist-to-panel connection assemblies.

[0239] A first example of a truss connection assembly 810 suitable for managing compression loads of a truss will now be described with reference to FIG. 37. Generally, the truss connection assembly 810 is suitable for managing compression loads at a contact point(s) of a truss 814 and a primary’ panel 842.

[0240] In the example of FIG. 37, the tmss connection assembly 810 is defined by a fastener 818 that is secured within the truss 814 such that a body of the fastener extends substantially vertically into a bottom chord of the truss. For instance, the fastener 818 may be a screw having a threaded body and a head. In some examples, the fastener 818 may be a SDWS™ screw available from Simpson Strong-Tie, or similar.

[0241] The head of the fastener 818 protrudes from or is substantially flush with a bottom surface of the truss bottom chord. The head of the fastener 818 is located in the area of truss load transfer (at the contact point(s) between the truss 814 and the primary panel 842). In that manner, the truss 814 is bearing on the head of the fastener 818, and at least some of the truss load is transferred up into the threaded body’ of the fastener 818.

[0242] When using the truss connection assembly 810, truss load is distributed into the fastener rather than concentrated at the truss / panel contact point(s). Specifically, truss load is transferred from the fastener head contact point and distributed up into the fastener threaded body. Accordingly, bearing capacity of the primary' panel 842 is increased. For instance, wall assembly portions in accordance with examples described herein that use the tmss connection assembly 810 may support trusses of longer spans (wider buildings) compared to configurations having a truss bearing directly on a primary panel. It should be noted that that truss connection assembly 810 may also be used between a primary panel and a joist.

[0243] Another example of a truss connection assembly 910 suitable for managing compression and tension loads of a truss will now be described with reference to FIG. 38. Generally, the truss connection assembly 910 is suitable for managing compression and tension loads at a contact point(s) of a tmss 914 and a primary panel 942. The truss connection assembly 910 is defined by a tension clip 918 that is normally used to connect trusses and studs. In some examples, the tension clip 918 may be an H10A, Hl 4, or similar hurricane clip.

[0244] In the truss connection assembly 910, a first attachment portion 920 of the tension clip 918 is connected to the primary panel 942, and a second attachment portion 922 of the tension clip 918 is connected to a bottom chord of the truss 914. Compression loads of the truss 914 are spread across the tension clip 918 rather than concentrated at the truss / panel contact point(s).

[0245] Specifically, truss load is transferred from the first attachment portion 920 and distributed up into the second attachment portion 922 of the tension clip 918. Accordingly, bearing capacity of the primary panel 942 and the truss 914 is increased. For instance, wall assembly portions in accordance with examples described herein that use the truss connection assembly 910 may support trusses of longer spans (wider buildings) compared to configurations having a truss bearing directly on a primary panel. The connection between the first and second attachment portions 920 and 922 of the truss connection assembly 910 can also help increase tension load capacities at the truss / panel interface. It should be noted that that truss connection assembly 910 may also be used between a primary panel and a joist.

[0246] In determining which truss connection assembly should be used in an optimization process, various factors can be considered, such as connection assembly labor cost, material cost, load capacity, etc. In one aspect, the truss connection assembly 810 is more labor intensive as the fastener must be installed in the truss before the truss is placed on the panel. A truss manufacturer could install the fastener, or the fastener can be installed during building construction. However, installing a fastener in a truss at the panel contact point is outside of the steps normally taken during construction, so it may increase labor costs. The truss connection assembly 910, on the other hand, can be secured to the truss and panel during the normal course of construction, so the labor costs is likely lower. The load capacity' of the truss connection assembly 810 and truss connection assembly 910 can also be considered. For instance, if higher tension load capacity is needed, the truss connection assembly 910 may be preferred if it has increased tension load capacity. However, the truss connection assembly 810 may have a higher compression load capacity, which may outweigh any additional costs associated therewith.

[0247] An example of a truss connection assembly 1010 suitable for managing tension and compression loads of a truss will now be described with reference to FIG. 39. Generally, the truss connection assembly 1010 is suitable for managing tension loads of a trust to increase uplift capacity of a truss / panel connection. In addition, the trussconnection assembly 1010 may increase compression load capacity at a contact point(s) of a truss 1014 and a primary panel 1042.

[0248] The truss connection assembly 1010 is defined by a fastener extending diagonally upward and inward through an upper end of a primary' panel 1042 and into a bottom truss chord. In some examples, the fastener 1018 may be a SDWC15600 screw, a SDCF screw, or an SDP screw available from Simpson Strong-Tie, or similar. The fastener 1018 embedded within the primary panel 1042 and the bottom chord of the of the truss 1014 increases uplift capacity of the truss / panel connection.

[0249] The embedded fastener 1018 may also increase compression load capacity of the truss / panel connection. Not to be bound by theory, but based on stiffness compatibility' principles, a stiffer component of a connection generally absorbs a compression load before a less stiff component. Thus, here most compression load of the truss 1014 will go through direct contact with the primary' panel 1042 rather than through the fastener 1018. By comparison, compression load is mainly forced to go through the fastener in the exemplary truss connection assemblies 810 and 910 described above. Nevertheless, the truss connection assembly 1010 may help distribute compression load across a portion of the fastener 1018. In the alternative, the truss connection assembly 1010 may be used in combination with at least one of the truss connection assemblies 810 and 910 described above to vary load capacity and costs. It should be noted that that truss connection assembly 1010 may also be used between a primary' panel and a joist.

[0250] In some examples, a truss connection assembly may be defined by a hanger secured to an inner or interior face of the primary panel, wherein a bottom chord of the truss is secured within the hanger. In such an example, the primary panel may extend up past a bottom chord of the truss. The truss may be configured to be secured in the hanger. For instance, the truss may include a raised 90-degree heel that is receivable within a hanger. Compression loads of the truss may then be transferred to the primary panel along the length and width of the hanger.

[0251] Exemplary joist connection assemblies will now be described with reference to FIGS. 40-43. Generally, the exemplary joist connection assemblies are configured to define a suitable load-bearing interface between a joist and a rim board and / or a primary panel of a prefabricated wall assembly portion without requiring alignment of the joist with a full height vertical stud (as is required with advanced stick framing techniques) and while increasing load capacity' (such as compared to advanced stickframing techniques). It should be noted that the exemplary joist connection assemblies described herein may also or instead be used as truss connection assemblies, and / or the exemplary joist connection assemblies described herein may be used in combination with the truss connection assemblies described above.

[0252] A first example of a joist connection assembly 1110 suitable for managing compression and tension loads of a joist will now be described with reference to FIG. 40. In general, the connection assembly 1110 is configured to define a suitable load-bearing interface between a joist 1114 (e.g., framing between floors of a building) and a first primary' panel 1142a. In the example depicted, the joist 1114 rests atop and bears directly down on the first primary panel 1142a. A rim blocking 1116 extends transversely between adjacent joists (only joist 1114 shown) and terminates at each joist interface. Given the load-bearing capacity of the primary panel 1142a, the joist 1114 can bear down directly onto the primary' panel without alignment of the joist with a full height vertical stud. Moreover, one or more of the truss connection assemblies described above may be used to increase compression and / or tension capacity between the joist 1114 and the first primary panel 1142a.

[0253] A shear plate, such as a LTP4 shear plate or similar, may be secured to both the first primary panel 1142a and the joist 1114 to define a suitable shearing connection therebetween. Similarly, a shear plate may be secured to both the joist 1114 and a second primary panel 1142b located above the first primary' panel to define a suitable shearing connection therebetw een

[0254] A second example of a joist connection assembly 1210 suitable for managing compression and tension loads of a joist will now be described with reference to FIG. 41. In general, the connection assembly 1210 is configured to define a suitable loadbearing interface between a joist (e.g., framing between floors of a building) and a rim board 1216.

[0255] In the example depicted, the rim board 1216 extends continuously along substantially the same vertical plane as first and second primary panels 1242a and 1242b. In that regard, the rim board rim board 1216 extends transversely to the joists (only joist 1214 shown) and does not terminate at a joist interface. Rather, the joist 1214 is secured to a face of the rim board 1216 with a hanger 1218. and the rim board 1216 rests atop and bears directly down on the first primary panel 1242a. The hanger 1218 transfers the joist load to the first primary panel 1242a through the rim board 1216. Any suitable hanger maybe used, such as a LUC hanger or similar. Moreover, one or more of the truss connection assemblies described above may be used to increase compression and / or tension capacity between the joist 1214 and the first primary panel 1242a.

[0256] A shear plate, such as a LTP4 shear plate or similar, may be secured to both the first primary' panel 1242a and the rim board 1216 to define a suitable shearing connection therebetween. Similarly, a shear plate may be secured to both the rim board 1216 and the second primary panel 1242b located above the first primary7panel to define a suitable shearing connection therebetween. Additional shear connectors SC may be used to secure the joist 1214 to atop plate.

[0257] A third example of a joist connection assembly 1310 suitable for managing compression and tension loads of a joist will now be described with reference to FIG. 42. In general, the connection assembly 1310 is configured to define a suitable load-bearing interface between a joist 1314 (e.g., framing between floors of a building) and a first primary panel 1342a. The joist connection assembly 1310 has substantially the same configuration as thejoist connection assembly 1210 described above except that in the joist connection assembly 1310, the first primary panel 1342a replaces the rim board. In that regard, the first primary7panel 1342a may have a height greater than a wall assembly portion and thus a height greater than any secondary panel. As such, the first primary panel 1342a may extend up above the height of the wall assembly for securing to thejoist 1314. It can be appreciated that by7eliminating the rim board (s), material and labor costs can be optimized, among other benefits.

[0258] Specifically, thejoist 1314 is secured to an inner or interior face of the first primary panel 1342a with a hanger 1318. The hanger 1318 transfers the j oist load to the first primary panel 1342a. Any suitable hanger may be used, such as a LUC hanger or similar. The fasteners used for connection of the hanger 1318 to the first primary7panel 1342a may have a body length so as not to protrude through the outer or exterior face of the first primary panel 1342a. In that regard, additional fasteners of a shorter length, such as compared to the type and number of fasteners used for securing a hanger to a rim board, may be used to support necessary load capacities. In other examples, the fasteners may be defined by an adhesive or the like that doesn't significantly penetrate the primary' panel. Moreover, one or more of the truss connection assemblies described above may be used to increase compression and / or tension capacity between the joist 1314 and the first primary panel 1342a. A shear plate, such as a LTP4 shear plate or similar, may be securedto both the first primary panel 1342a and a second primary panel 1242b located above the first primary panel to define a suitable shearing connection therebetween.

[0259] Exemplary shear wall connection assemblies will now be described with reference to FIGS. 43-46. Generally, the exemplary shear wall connection assemblies are configured to define a portion of a shear wall for a prefabricated wall assembly having a primary panel. Typically, if advanced framing is used, structural sheathing is used to carry shear forces and spread wind forces across the studs. The structural sheathing does not carry any compression or tension loads. Rather, hold downs are added to resist tension forces. The hold downs are nailed to built-up or repeated lumber pieces (e.g., side-by-side stacked vertical studs) or larger posts to transfer tension forces from the structural sheathing into the hold down / concrete. Using the exemplary shear wall connection assemblies disclosed herein, a primary panel can support tension forces. In that regard, the exemplary shear wall connection assemblies generally include a hold down configured to secure a primary panel directly to concrete without the need for extra posts / blocking.

[0260] A first example of a shear wall connection assembly 1410 suitable for managing tension loads in a shear wall will now be described with reference to FIG. 43 and 44 (wherein FIG. 43 show s an elevation view and FIG. 44 shows both a cross-sectional view and a plan view). In general, the shear wall connection assembly 1410 is configured as a metal bucket or boot hold down assembly located inside a cavity of the w all assembly. For instance a steel rod 1416 embedded into concrete connects to a metal hold down 1418. The metal hold down 1418 is secured directly to a primary panel 1442.

[0261] The fasteners used for connection of the metal hold down 1418 to the primary panel 1442 may have a body length so as not to protrude through the outer or exterior face of the primary panel. In that regard, additional fasteners of a shorter length, such as compared to a type and number of fasteners typically used for securing ahold down to a stud, may be used to support necessary' load capacities. The shorter fasteners are important in this version of the hold down to prevent the fasteners protruding on the exterior face of the building where they can damage w ater and air barriers over the panel, or where workers can brush against the fasteners and be injured. In other examples, the fasteners may be defined by an adhesive or the like that doesn't significantly penetrate the primary' panel.

[0262] A second example of a shear wall connection assembly 1510 suitable for managing tension loads in a shear wall will now be described with reference to FIG. 45 and46 (wherein FIG. 45 shows an elevation view and FIG. 46 shows both a cross-sectional view and a plan view). In general, the shear wall connection assembly 1510 is configured as a strap hold down assembly located outside a cavity of the wall assembly. For instance, a first portion of a metal strap 1516 is embedded into concrete, and a second, hold down portion of the metal strap 1518 is secured directly to a primary' panel 1542. The second, hold down portion of the metal strap 1518 may also be secured to a bottom plate assembly or below-floor framing.

[0263] In some examples, the fasteners used for connection of the second, hold down portion of the metal strap 1518 to the primary panel 1542 may have a body length so as not to protrude through the inner or interior face of the primary panel. In that regard, additional fasteners of a shorter length, such as compared to a t pe and number of fasteners typically used for securing a hold down to a stud, may be used to support necessary load capacities. In other examples, the fasteners may be defined by an adhesive or the like that doesn't significantly penetrate the primary panel. In other examples, the fasteners can match standard lengths for fasteners in wood shearwall systems and have their tips protruding into the wall cavity because there is typically nothing in this wall cavity space that w il 1 be damaged by protruding nails.

[0264] With any of the exemplary shear wall connection assemblies, a stiffener block or partial height vertical blocking ("vertical blocking reinforcement") may be added in substantial vertical alignment with the hold down connection to the primary panel. While overturning shearwall forces cause an upward tension force at one end of a shearwall, they cause a downw ard compression force at the other end of the shearw all. The primary panel may need varying degrees of increased blocking reinforcement to give the primary panel enough compression buckling resistance to support this overturning compression force. In a building w ith multiple stories, the shearwall overturning compression and tension forces often stack on top of each other, causing much higher tension forces and compression forces at the ends of shearwalls at lower floor levels. The vertical blocking reinforcement in line with these forces can be scaled by the load at that floor level to support the load efficiently. Similarly, for tension forces, a continuous threaded rod can be added floor to floor where primary panel tension capacity is exceeded.

[0265] FIG. 47 shows a schematic view of a modified PBPWA exemplary wall assembly portion having full height vertical studs spaced 24 inches on center, similar to theexemplary wall assembly portion 738 shown and described above with respect to FIG 34, except without any window or door openings.

[0266] FIG. 48 shows a schematic view of a modified PBPWA exemplary wall assembly portion having partial height (e.g., 75% height) vertical blocking members spaced 24 inches on center, similar to the exemplary' wall assembly portion 738 shown and described above with respect to FIG 34. except without any window or door openings and while defining a gap at the top and bottom of the vertical blocking members. As noted above, such a configuration can increase insulation capacity' and support electrical installation, among other benefits such as material cost savings. However, full height vertical studs may be preferred for ease of gypsum installation.

[0267] FIG. 49 shows a schematic view of a modified PBPWA exemplary' wall assembly portion having partial height (e.g., 50% height) vertical blocking members spaced four feet on center, similar to the exemplary' wall assembly portion 738 shown and described above with respect to FIG 34. except without any window or door openings and while defining a significant gap at the top and bottom of the vertical blocking members. Such a configuration can increase insulation capacity and support electrical installation, among other benefits such as material cost savings.

[0268] In such a configuration, vertical and / or horizontal blocking members may be added as needed to provide the necessary stiffness for the gypsum panel while minimizing the volume / number of blocking members. For instance, non-structural blocking or gypsum connection points at every' 24" in between the vertical blocking members may be used. Gypsum connection points may be defined by C-channeled metal clips or standoffs that extend between the primary panel(s) 742 and the gypsum. In some examples, the partial height vertical structural blocking members spaced every four feet on center may be interspersed with gypsum connection points extending between the partial height vertical structural blocking members and the top or bottom plate.

[0269] Any of the wall assembly portions (e.g., the modified PBPWAs) and corresponding connection assemblies described with respect to FIGS. 34-49 may be incorporated into the optimization systems and methods described. In that regard, a construction optimization system and process may include designating at least one of a material and / or configuration and / or thickness of the primary panel(s), blocking materials and / or a configuration of a modified reinforcing assembly to support gypsum use or the like, or both, to support a required building load. The optimization system and processmay also include designating a connection assembly configuration between horizontal framing members and the primary panels of a modified PBPWA to support a required building load.

[0270] While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and have been described herein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.

[0271] References in the specification to "one example," "an example." "an illustrative example," etc., indicate that the example described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every example may or may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same example. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an example, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other examples whether or not explicitly described. As used herein, the terms "about" and "approximately," in reference to a number, is used herein to include numbers that fall within a range of 10%, 5%, or 1% in either direction (greater than or less than) the number unless otherwise stated or otherwise evident from the context (except where such number would exceed 100% of a possible value).

[0272] Language such as "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", etc., in the present disclosure is meant to provide orientation for the reader with reference to the drawings and is not intended to be the required orientation of the components or to impart orientation limitations into the claims.

[0273] In the drawings, some structural or method features may be shown in specific arrangements and / or orderings. However, it should be appreciated that such specific arrangements and / or orderings may not be required. Rather, in some examples, such features may be arranged in a different manner and / or order than shown in the illustrative figures. Additionally, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in a particular figure is not meant to imply that such feature is required in all examples and, in some examples, it may not be included or may be combined with other features.

[0274] The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context where each term is used. Alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, and no special significance should be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. In some cases, synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is illustrative only and is not intended to further limit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any example term.

[0275] Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various example examples given in this specification. Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms used herein have the meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure.

Claims

CLAIMSThe embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A wall assembly portion for a building structure system, comprising: a primary prefabricated wall assembly portion defined by at least one primary panel configured to be secured on edge to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure; anda secondary wall assembly portion configured to be installed in a spaced substantially parallel relationship to the primary7prefabricated wall assembly portion, the secondary wall assembly portion defined by at least one secondary panel configured to be secured on edge; anda reinforcing assembly having a plurality' of 2X4 or 2X6 vertical blocking members spaced at least twenty7four inches on center and configured for attachment to the at least one secondary panel.

2. The wall assembly portion of Claim 1, wherein the at least one secondary panel is gy psum.

3. The wall assembly portion of Claim 1. further comprising:a top plate member assembly having at least first and second top plate members, where the primary7panel is attached to both the least first and second top plate members, and the attachment between the least first and second top plate members and the primary panel is used as a shear connection between the least first and second top plate members and the primary panel to transfer tension and compression forces from the top plate member to the primary panel.

4. A wall structural system having all required chord and collector loads of a system, comprising:a primary7panel; anda top plate member assembly having at least first and second top plate members, where the primary panel is attached to both the least first and second top plate members, and the attachment between the least first and second top plate members and the primary panel is used as a shear connection between the least first and second top plate membersand the primary panel to transfer tension and compression forces from the top plate member to the primary panel.

5. The wall structural system of Claim 4, wherein the primary panel is configured to be secured on edge to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure.

6. The wall structural system of Claim 4, further comprising:a secondary wall assembly portion configured to be installed in a spaced substantially parallel relationship to the primary prefabricated wall assembly portion, the secondary7wall assembly portion defined by at least one secondary panel configured to be secured on edge; anda reinforcing assembly having a plurality of vertical blocking members spaced at least twenty four inches on center and configured for attachment to the at least one secondary' panel.

7. A method of assembling a wall assembly portion, compnsing: constructing a primary' prefabricated building wall portion including securing at least one primary' panel on edge that is configured to support all required loads of a portion of a building structure;defining a reinforcing assembly having a plurality of 2X4 or 2X6 vertical blocking members secured to the at least one primary panel and spaced at least twenty four inches on center;installing at least one of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and installation (MEPI) in an exposed wall cavity defined by the at least one primary panel; andconstructing a secondary building wall portion including securing at least one secondary panel on edge relative to the primary' prefabricated building wall portion and attaching the at least one secondary panel to the reinforcing assembly.

8. The method of Claim 7, further comprising installing at least one of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and installation on MEPI marks defined on a cavity face of the at least one primary panel.

9. A method of optimizing a building wall using the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:receiving, with a computing device, framing design input information for at least one wall of a building structure;having a first wall portion and a second wall portion spaced substantially parallel to the first wall portion, the second wall portion formed with gypsum;processing, with a computing device, the framing design input information to determine at least one load requirement for the at least one wall; anddesignating, by a computing device, at least one of a material, thickness, and corresponding blocking for at least one primary panel of a primary prefabricated building wall portion based on structural load requirements for the at least one wall.

10. The method of Claim 9, further comprising designating a connection assembly for securing a horizontal frame member to the at least one primary panel.

11. A connection assembly for securing a horizontal frame member to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:a fastener extending upwardly into the horizontal frame member at a contact point between the horizontal frame member and the at least one primary panel.

12. A connection assembly for securing a horizontal frame member to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:a hold down clip secured to the horizontal frame member and the at least one primary panel at or near a contact point between the horizontal frame member and the at least one primary panel.

13. A connection assembly for securing a horizontal frame member to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:a fastener extending upwardly through the at least one primary panel and the horizontal frame member at or near a contact point between the horizontal frame member and the at least one primary panel.

14. A method for connecting a horizontal frame member to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:defining a contact point of the horizontal frame member along a top edge of the at least one primary panel; andsecuring a shear connector to the horizontal frame member and the at least one primary panel.

15. A method for connecting a horizontal frame member to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:securing the horizontal frame member to an interior or inner face of the at least one primary panel with a hanger: andsecuring a shear connector to the horizontal frame member and the at least one primary' panel.

16. A method for connecting a horizontal frame member to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:securing the horizontal frame member to an interior or inner face of a rim board located on a top edge of the at least one primary panel with a hanger; andsecuring a shear connector to the rim board and the at least one primary' panel.

17. A method for securing a hold down to at least one primary panel for the wall assembly portion of Claim 1 or the wall structural system of Claim 4, comprising:securing a first end of a hold down to concrete; andsecuring a second end of ahold down to the at least one primary panel.

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