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Exterior insulation finishing system. A historic brick building in Germany covered with EIFS on the right side. Exterior insulation and finish system ( EIFS) is a general class of non- load bearing building cladding systems that provides exterior walls with an insulated, water-resistant, finished surface in an integrated composite material system.
Mechanically stabilized earth ( MSE or reinforced soil) is soil constructed with artificial reinforcing. It can be used for retaining walls, bridge abutments, seawalls, and dikes. [1] [2] Although the basic principles of MSE have been used throughout history, MSE was developed in its current form in the 1960s.
Definition. A retaining wall is designed to hold in place a mass of earth or the like, such as the edge of a terrace or excavation. The structure is constructed to resist the lateral pressure of soil when there is a desired change in ground elevation that exceeds the angle of repose of the soil. [ 1]
Insulating concrete form or insulated concrete form (ICF) is a system of formwork for reinforced concrete usually made with a rigid thermal insulation that stays in place as a permanent interior and exterior substrate for walls, floors, and roofs. The forms are interlocking modular units that are dry-stacked (without mortar) and filled with ...
Shear wall. A typical timber shear wall consists of braced panels in the wall line, constructed using structural plywood sheathing, specific nailing at the edges, and supporting framing. A shear wall is an element of a structurally engineered system that is designed to resist in- plane lateral forces, typically wind and seismic loads.
Cladding (construction) Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer. In construction, cladding is used to provide a degree of thermal insulation and weather resistance, and to improve the appearance of buildings. [ 1] Cladding can be made of any of a wide range of materials including wood, metal, brick ...
Curtain wall (architecture) A building project in Wuhan, China, demonstrating the relationship between the inner load-bearing structure and an exterior glass curtain wall. Curtain walls are also used on residential structures. A curtain wall is an exterior covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, instead serving to ...
By installing insulation, buildings use less energy for heating and cooling and occupants experience less thermal variability. Retrofitting buildings with further insulation is an important climate change mitigation tactic, [ 1][ 2] especially when buildings are heated by oil, natural gas, or coal-based electricity.