Manage Wall Types

The system allows wall specifications to be defined. When creating a wall, the wall type, texture set, HRB preprocessor file, wall thickness, reference axis and layer distribution are taken from the specification. All of these values are then stored in the wall. A change to the specification is not automatically applied to walls that have already been entered.

The specifications are entered via the 'Manage Wall Specifications' function.

Using the selection list at the top of the dialog box, existing settings can be selected. With the disk icon you can save the current setting under the same name or a new name. Using the management icon you can create new specifications, also by adopting existing wall specifications, modify existing specifications or delete them. See 'Save Settings' in the 'General Help' manual for details.

If you save a favorite for a wall specification (see the 'General Help' manual) and click the corresponding icon, the 'Manage Wall Specifications' function does not start; instead the wall input function is launched. However, the wall specification saved as a favorite will be preset. In this way you can place up to nine wall inputs with different wall constructions in the toolbar.

For each execution, the following values can be set:

Wall type: A wall type (external, internal or dormer wall) must be specified for the specification. The designation external and internal wall is particularly important for assignment to HRB and for quantity determination. The dormer wall designation causes this wall to be cut not under a roof but between roof surfaces (main roof surface - dormer roof surface). In the HRB assignment a dormer wall is treated as an external wall.

Room determination: For the 'Rooms' module walls play an important role as boundaries of rooms. A wall can thus either delimit a room or not. The following options are available here:

Room boundary: A wall with this designation automatically delimitates a room.

Facing wall (not room-high): If a wall has the 'Facing wall' option for room determination, it is not considered a room boundary. If a facing wall, for example in the area of an eaves wall, actually delimits the room, it should receive the standard option 'Room boundary' for 'Room determination'. This has no effect on the quantity values of the wall, only on its consideration as a room boundary. These situations mainly occur in roof areas, where even a low facing wall due to roof intersection (knee wall) can be room-delimiting. Therefore, a facing wall with a maximum wall height of at least 4.0 m is always considered a 'Room boundary'; here the 'maximum wall height' and not the actual wall height is decisive. For the knee wall the maximum wall height could alternatively be set above 4.0 m.

Only room boundary: A wall with this designation is considered a boundary only when determining rooms, but otherwise is not treated as a wall by the program. It will therefore also not be displayed as a wall in the quantity survey.

Additional wall type: We fundamentally distinguish between exterior walls, dormer walls and interior walls. In some situations a more precise classification of the wall would be helpful, e.g. 'sanitary wall' or 'eaves wall'. For this purpose the additional wall type was introduced:

• Input of the additional wall type:

• In the wall specification: It can be saved with the specification and thus assigned directly.

• In the wall attributes: Here it can be adjusted without triggering a recalculation of the wall.

• The additional wall type is a free text entry. To access a selection of terms, the file %DHPVOR%\WZusWaTyp.vor can be used; this should only be edited by experienced users.

• Use of the additional wall type:

• The additional wall type is transferred to the HRB system and the combined elements with the system variable EzTyp There it can then be used to control conditions.

• The additional wall type is available in wall plans. It can be output in texts there.

• The additional wall type is also transferred as information to the wall stations.

• The additional wall type is transferred in building element lists.

Transfer to the wall station: For the wall stations you can already assign to each individual wall via the specification whether the wall should be handed over in viewing direction or against viewing direction.

HRB preprocessor: A wall can be assigned an HRB preprocessor via the specification from the outset. This can be changed later at any time, independently of the specification.

Block construction specification: A wall can be assigned a block-construction preprocessor via the specification from the outset. This can be changed later at any time, independently of the specification.

Texture set: A corresponding browser is available for selecting the texture set. Of interest for walls is the ability in the texture set to distinguish between front, back and edges. Some typical texture sets are supplied.

Wall thickness: The total wall thickness is displayed here and can be entered. The wall thickness always corresponds to the sum of the layer thicknesses. Changes in wall thickness are generally allocated to layer 0.

Reference axis: A special reference axis can be specified for the input. The value is the distance from the left wall edge when looking from the first to the second input point of the wall.

Layers: The layer thicknesses are entered. When changed, the total wall thickness is automatically adjusted. Layer 0 should be the main layer (stud layer) of the wall. Layers -1, -2 etc. are then located toward the front side, layers 1, 2 etc. toward the back side of the wall. For an external wall the front side is always considered the outside.

Core layers (K): Each layer can be a core layer or a shell. The core layers of the wall have a subordinate role and do not influence the intersection of the wall with a ceiling or the roof. However, you can influence the displayed wall length in the quantity survey with the core layers. The longest length of all core layers of a wall yields the displayed wall length.

Insulation quantity (I): Layers defined in this way are evaluated as insulation area and insulation volume in the quantity data of the wall surfaces when a wall quantity is stored in the construction data program.

Area quantity (A): Layers defined in this way are evaluated as area and true area in the quantity data of the wall surfaces when a wall quantity is stored in the construction data program.

Layer areas for EnEV: With this button you switch to another dialog box for entering the layer ranges that can occur in a wall. This dialog box is described in the chapter Layer Ranges for EnEV.

The next three fields relate less to the specification of a wall than to the input of walls. However, you can make defaults for the input of walls here, which can still be changed again during the input itself.

Connect: When walls meet other walls during input they are normally intersected with them, i.e. connected. The drop-down list has the following options:

All: All walls are connected without further query.

Individual: For each connection the program requests a confirmation.

None: No wall is connected.

Positioning: A wall is entered by two points in the plan. In positioning you can choose which line is spanned by these two points: viewing side or back side, center axis, reference axis or choice. With the 'Choice' option the side can be selected graphically after entering the two points.

Input direction: Walls can be entered from right to left or from left to right, with the viewing side remaining on the same side. With the Choice option the wall can be rotated graphically (right mouse button) after entering the two end points.

Reference for lower edge of wall: This is a default for walls created with this wall specification, but it can be changed when entering the wall. Since most walls with a specific specification are usually entered with the same references and the same height, the default is often suitable.

The following option is available as a reference:

Lower edge of current storey: The lower edge of the wall refers to the lower edge of the storey to which the wall belongs.

Distance to lower reference LA: This is the distance between the lower edge of the wall and the reference height chosen above.

Reference for upper edge of wall: For the upper edge a reference can be chosen:

Lower edge of current storey: The upper edge of the wall refers to the lower edge of the storey to which the wall belongs. Together with the distance (next field) this allows direct entry of the maximum wall height, as was common with program versions prior to V14.

Lower edge of layer 0 of upper ceiling or Lower edge of layer 0 of upper ceiling: The upper edge of the wall refers to the lower edge or upper edge of layer 0 of the next ceiling that is located above the lower edge of the wall. A ceiling is searched for that is at least 1.8 m above the lower edge of the current storey. If no ceiling is found up to 1.8 m above the upper storey, the wall is limited by the lower edge of the upper storey.

Lower edge of layer 0 is typically used for interior walls that end below the load-bearing structure of the ceiling. The load-bearing structure is typically located in layer 0: concrete layer, ceiling beams or cross-laminated timber.

Upper edge of layer 0 is used for walls that penetrate the main load-bearing structure but still end below the stiffening layer, e.g. below the OSB board.

Lower edge of upper storey: The upper edge of the wall is positioned relative to the lower edge of the next higher storey. This will be the correct approach for most walls. If there is no upper storey, walls with this option are automatically extended up to the roof.

Distance to upper reference UA: This is the distance between the upper edge of the wall and the reference height chosen above.

[Definition for upper and lower storey:]

The upper storey is found automatically based on the lower edge of the storey; the designation (ground floor, 1st floor, ...) plays no role here. The next storey is found that is at most 1.25 m away; if no storey is found within a distance of 1.25 m, the next one is sought that is at least 1.8 m away. The reason for this interval is that storeys created only for ceilings must be found; these have a very small distance, i.e. under 1.25 m. In contrast, mezzanines should not be found, so the next regular storey must be at least 1.8 m away. For cases where these limits do not yield a suitable result, the references for walls and ceilings should be set to Lower edge of current storey so that heights can be entered directly as before.