ABSTRACT
Lightweight wood frame structures are widely used in residential housing development in North America. The main structural feature is to rely on uniformly spaced studs and sheets to withstand all kinds of in-plane and out-plane forces system. The so-called “platform construction” enables the staged construction due to the separation of walls and floors. The floor constructed in previous stage serves as a platform for the erection of the walls, upper floor structures, with minimum requirement of heavy equipment.
