Patent ID: 6931804

Claim:
A shearwall having improved resistance to lateral loads and variable stiffness alone its height, the shearwall comprising: a) a first and a second supporting vertical member for supporting the shearwall in an upright position; b) a base attached to the supporting vertical members, where the base and supporting vertical members define an area within a frame; c) a horizontal dividing structure that, when the shearwall is supported in an upright position, extends substantially horizontally between each of the supporting vertical members, whereby the horizontal dividing structure divides the area within the frame into a larger upper region and a smaller lower region; d) a frame support structure extending between the horizontal dividing structure and the base for transferring shear forces to the foundation, wherein the frame support structure comprises at least one diagonal framing member attached to the base and extending at an angle between the base and one of the first and second supporting vertical members, the horizontal dividing member, or both; and e) a first thrust block spaced vertically apart from the base and abutting at least one of the first supporting vertical member, the horizontal dividing structure, and the diagonal framing member, and a second thrust block spaced vertically apart from the base and abutting at least one of the second supporting vertical member, the horizontal dividing structure, and the diagonal framing member; where the first thrust block is attached to the first supporting vertical member and the horizontal dividing structure using a first thrust block connector plate and the second thrust block is attached to the second supporting vertical member, the horizontal dividing structure, and the diagonal framing member using a second thrust block connector plate.