Patent ID: 10081961

Abstract:
A building wall includes a first shear wall panel having a horizontal bottom edge and a right vertical edge, a horizontal base support located under the horizontal bottom edge of the first shear wall panel, and a first tie-down that couples the first shear wall panel to the base support at a central point along the horizontal bottom edge of the first shear wall panel such that the shear wall panel rocks under horizontal forces. The wall further includes a second shear wall panel in plane with and adjacent to the first shear wall panel, the second shear wall panel having a horizontal bottom edge and a left vertical edge. The horizontal base support further is located under the horizontal bottom edge of the second shear wall panel, and a second tie-down couples the second shear wall panel to the base support at a central point along the horizontal bottom edge of the second shear wall panel such that the second shear wall panel rocks under horizontal forces. A connector couples the first shear wall panel along a portion of its right vertical edge to the adjacent second shear wall panel along a portion of its left vertical edge.