Load-bearing wall

A load-bearing wall carries weight from floors, roofs, or other structural elements above it and transfers that load to the foundation or supporting structure.

Load path: The continuous route structural forces follow through a building to its foundations or other supports. A load-bearing wall is one segment in the route that transfers building weight downward.
Non-load-bearing wall: An interior or exterior wall that does not support structural loads from floors or roofs above it. Unlike a load-bearing wall, it can usually be removed without replacing its vertical support function.
Wall removal: The demolition or dismantling of a wall as part of building alteration or redevelopment. Removing a load-bearing wall requires a designed replacement path for the loads it carries.
Framed structure: A building system in which a connected framework of beams and columns carries most structural loads. A framed structure can reduce the need for walls to support floors and roofs.
Dead load: The permanent weight of a building's structural and fixed components. This includes the floors, roof, and finishes whose weight a load-bearing wall may carry.
Partition wall: A wall that divides interior space, typically without supporting the building's floors or roof. Many interior walls are partitions, but appearance alone does not establish whether one bears loads.
Beam and column replacement: A structural alteration that substitutes beams and columns for a wall's support function. This approach can open a larger space while preserving support from above.
Curtain wall: A non-structural exterior wall attached to a building frame that carries its own weight and environmental loads. It encloses the building but does not support the floors or roof above it.
Live load: Variable weight imposed on a structure by occupants, furniture, stored goods, or environmental forces. Floors can transmit changing occupancy loads through the walls beneath them.
Beam: A structural member that carries loads mainly through bending and transfers them to supports. Beams may rest on load-bearing walls and deliver floor or roof forces into them.

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