Visualizing Frame Drift Around a Detached Wall

During an earthquake, a building frame sways and its floors move relative to one another. A wall inside the frame may be intentionally detached, with enough clearance for the frame to move without pushing on it.

That separation matters even more when the wall is reinforced concrete, such as an insulated concrete form (ICF) wall, rather than a lightweight partition. If the frame closes the clearance and contacts the wall, the two begin interacting and both can be damaged.

The design challenge is to size this seismic gap and connect the wall to the columns in a way that keeps the wall stable while still allowing the frame to move independently. The wall needs support without unintentionally becoming part of the building's earthquake-resisting system.

I built this interactive visualization to make the gap-closing problem easier to see and to show how the beams and columns move relative to the detached wall.

Watch the video below and then try it in your browser.

The visualization is conceptual and does not predict real earthquake motion or damage.