Load Distribution and Double Skin Wall

The stress distribution in a double skin wall system is found to be very sensitive to the load distribution between the two skins. The understanding of wind load distribution between the two skins is essential to justify the design adequacy of a double skin wall system. Wind engineering research is urgently needed in this area in order to eliminate the design confusion and legal litigations arising from the dispute of the assumed wind load distribution used in the design. An example design analysis indicated that an 85% difference in the computed allowable load resulted from the two extreme wind load distribution assumptions (i.e., total load on the interior skin versus total load on the exterior skin). Using an extreme wind load distribution assumption in the design would lead to either an unsafe structure or an overconservative design.