Hello!
I live in an apartment (floor 4 of 5, or actually floor 7 of 8 since it's a split-level building - anyway, I only have one apartment directly above me) in a multi-family building built in 1981. If it's relevant, it has a completely flat roof and is located in Stockholm. It's a brick-clad building with a concrete frame/floor structure.
I would like to open up a part of a load-bearing concrete wall between the kitchen and the living room. Naturally, I will do everything by the book, i.e., seek permission from the board, file a building notification, hire a structural engineer for calculations, a reputable construction firm, etc., etc., but I'm still curious and want to ask a few questions. To avoid being too long-winded, I'll start with just two questions
1. The wall section I wish to take down is part of a load-bearing solid concrete wall located between two doorways between the kitchen and the living room (image 1 & 2). The wall thickness is 166 mm, width 1440 mm. There are likely a few electrical cables near the wall and floor but no pipes or ducts. However, just below the ceiling, a ventilation duct runs across the middle of the wall. I'm wondering if the wall can be supported with a transverse steel beam that would then be just over 3 m long. It could either rest on notched ledges in the concrete wall (image 3), or on vertical beams (image 4). I don't know which would be best. Would you think this is a viable solution, generally speaking? I can't find much on the forum about replacing concrete walls in apartments, mostly about wooden frames in houses.
2. What exactly does the transverse steel beam contribute? Had it been a wooden floor structure, with vertical load-bearing beams from floor to ceiling that had been cut so they hang in mid-air, I'd understand that a transverse beam under the freely hanging wooden beams would distribute the load to the sides. But in a solid concrete wall, nothing hangs "entirely free" in the air - the load should be distributed to the walls on either side of the new opening - so what does the steel beam do that the remaining upper part of the solid concrete wall doesn't already do? Sure, I understand it provides some kind of reinforcement, but I don't see the significant difference the beam makes in this situation. Does it have something to do with the steel's elasticity versus the concrete's? Is an additional supporting vertical beam likely needed in the middle (which is not desirable)?
Grateful for any insights! I can attach more drawings (including construction drawings for the entire building - there are quite a few for this housing association on the Building and Planning Service online - unfortunately completely unsorted so it takes time to find the right ones) if needed.
I live in an apartment (floor 4 of 5, or actually floor 7 of 8 since it's a split-level building - anyway, I only have one apartment directly above me) in a multi-family building built in 1981. If it's relevant, it has a completely flat roof and is located in Stockholm. It's a brick-clad building with a concrete frame/floor structure.
I would like to open up a part of a load-bearing concrete wall between the kitchen and the living room. Naturally, I will do everything by the book, i.e., seek permission from the board, file a building notification, hire a structural engineer for calculations, a reputable construction firm, etc., etc., but I'm still curious and want to ask a few questions. To avoid being too long-winded, I'll start with just two questions
1. The wall section I wish to take down is part of a load-bearing solid concrete wall located between two doorways between the kitchen and the living room (image 1 & 2). The wall thickness is 166 mm, width 1440 mm. There are likely a few electrical cables near the wall and floor but no pipes or ducts. However, just below the ceiling, a ventilation duct runs across the middle of the wall. I'm wondering if the wall can be supported with a transverse steel beam that would then be just over 3 m long. It could either rest on notched ledges in the concrete wall (image 3), or on vertical beams (image 4). I don't know which would be best. Would you think this is a viable solution, generally speaking? I can't find much on the forum about replacing concrete walls in apartments, mostly about wooden frames in houses.
2. What exactly does the transverse steel beam contribute? Had it been a wooden floor structure, with vertical load-bearing beams from floor to ceiling that had been cut so they hang in mid-air, I'd understand that a transverse beam under the freely hanging wooden beams would distribute the load to the sides. But in a solid concrete wall, nothing hangs "entirely free" in the air - the load should be distributed to the walls on either side of the new opening - so what does the steel beam do that the remaining upper part of the solid concrete wall doesn't already do? Sure, I understand it provides some kind of reinforcement, but I don't see the significant difference the beam makes in this situation. Does it have something to do with the steel's elasticity versus the concrete's? Is an additional supporting vertical beam likely needed in the middle (which is not desirable)?
Grateful for any insights! I can attach more drawings (including construction drawings for the entire building - there are quite a few for this housing association on the Building and Planning Service online - unfortunately completely unsorted so it takes time to find the right ones) if needed.
