Girt: Wednesday’s Word Of The Week
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| Girts in the end wall of the Sidney Center Fire Department |
Beams are typically installed as floor and wall framing to support vertical weight. Sometimes a beam is installed in a wall to resist horizontal pressures caused by wind, these beams are often referred to as “girts.” In this case, the beam spans between large, full height columns, and smaller infill framing spans vertically from foundation to girt and girt to roof.
The girt may or may not be required to support the weight of the wall above it or doors hung below it. Depending on the relative strength and deflection requirements of the wall weight supported and wind pressures resisted, girts can be oriented with their strong axis vertical or horizontal.
*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.