A lateral force resistance system for a building is provided wherein a portal frame is constructed with a lapped connection between the supported structural member and the supporting structural member and the supporting structural member is made with an elongated member that spans the width of the supporting structural member and the height of the supporting structural member.

Concrete wall supports that reduce or eliminate wall movement due to exterior horizontal forces. One support is a bracket mounted to a floor joist with a plate extending below the top of the wall and two legs extending from the plate and attaching to the joist. One leg is above the concrete wall on one horizontal side of the plate, and the other leg is on the opposite side of the plate. Another support has a plate that extends below the top of the wall with two legs on opposite sides of the joist above the wall. A leg attaches to the lower edge of the joist. A support against shear forces includes a highly water permeable aggregate composite disposed in the voids of the wall, with a supportive strip that is enclosed in the aggregate composite and extends out of the voids to the face of the wall.

A building monitoring computer system for monitoring building integrity may be provided. Various types of sensors may be embedded throughout or within certain portions of different types of building or construction material making up the building, such as within roofing, foundation, or structural materials. The sensors may be in wireless communication with a home controller. The sensors may be water, moisture, temperature, vibration, or other types of sensors, and may detect unexpected or abnormal conditions within the home. The sensors and/or home controller may transmit alerts to a mobile device of the home owner associated with the unexpected condition, and/or that remedial actions may be required to repair the home or mitigate further damage to the home. The sensor data may also be communicated to an insurance provider remote server to facilitate the insurance provider communicating insurance-related recommendations, updating insurance policies, or preparing insurance claims for review for home owners.

Repurpose decommissioned elevated highways, decommissioned elevated railways, decommissioned bridges, viaducts, and causeways and or new construction of elevated spans by making provision for providing energy from non-fossil fuel sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal and/or hydrothermal, to provide the energy needs of habitable structures and facilities built upon such decommissioned elevated bridges, elevated railways or bridges. Such is done to provide energy independence for such spans that are to be free of fossil-fuel motor vehicle traffic (or trains).

An architectural foundation assembly comprising a horizontal slab including a top surface, a bottom surface, and an outside surface; a vertical slab in contact with the horizontal slab, the vertical slab including a top surface, an outside surface, and an inside surface, the top surface defining a shelf having a horizontal surface and a vertical surface; and at least one structural element attached to the shelf and in contact with the top surface of the vertical slab, the at least one structural element including a top surface which is flush with the top surface of the horizontal slab, the at least one structural element not in contact with the vertical surface of the shelf, thereby creating a thermal air gap between the at least one structural element and the vertical surface of the shelf.

A building monitoring computer system for monitoring building integrity may be provided. Various types of sensors may be embedded throughout or within certain portions of different types of building or construction material making up the building, such as within roofing, foundation, or structural materials. The sensors may be in wireless communication with a home controller. The sensors may be water, moisture, temperature, vibration, or other types of sensors, and may detect unexpected or abnormal conditions within the home. The sensors and/or home controller may transmit alerts to a mobile device of the home owner associated with the unexpected condition, and/or that remedial actions may be required to repair the home or mitigate further damage to the home. The sensor data may also be communicated to an insurance provider remote server to facilitate the insurance provider communicating insurance-related recommendations, updating insurance policies, or preparing insurance claims for review for home owners.

Concrete wall supports that reduce or eliminate wall movement due to exterior horizontal forces. One support is a bracket mounted to a floor joist with a plate extending below the top of the wall and two legs extending from the plate and attaching to the joist. One leg is above the concrete wall on one horizontal side of the plate, and the other leg is on the opposite side of the plate. Another support has a plate that extends below the top of the wall with two legs on opposite sides of the joist above the wall. A leg attaches to the lower edge of the joist. A support against shear forces includes a highly water permeable aggregate composite disposed in the voids of the wall, with a supportive strip that is enclosed in the aggregate composite and extends out of the voids to the face of the wall.

A device for insulating the slab foundation of a building, said device comprising: a generally horizontal insulating section disposed between the slab foundation and a footer of a building, said horizontally disposed insulating section comprising a generally elongated cuboid shape having at least one cutout through which a concrete column is disposed; said prefabricated device further comprising a generally vertical insulating section disposed adjacent to said horizontal insulating section and attached to said building.

Insulation screw adapted to be inserted by a mounting device into insulation material, where the insulation screw comprises a body provided with at least one thread, where the tip of the body is pointed, where the outer diameter of the head is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the body and where the lead pitch of the thread is at least 30 millimetres. An insulation screw can be driven completely through a central opening since the insulation screw does not have a protruding head. The insulation screw is provided with a thread and the opening of a mounting device is provided with a corresponding threaded portion, such that the insulation screw is screwed into the insulation material by a non-rotating pushing force.

A dual lap high strength adhesive for sheet membrane application, having reflectivity granular particle layer to fully bond to concrete/shotcrete, and a method of making, and using same. More particularly, the invention encompasses a below grade, blind side, waterproofing sheet membrane with an inventive high strength adhesive, and having at least one layer of reflectivity granular particle layer that are partly embedded into the adhesive layer, and where the average reflectivity of the exposed granular particles is below 55 percent reflectivity on a standard reflectivity scale. The innovative reflectivity granular particle layer system that is securely bonded to concrete or shotcrete can be used along a wall, a floor, a ceiling, or along any structure which requires water or moisture proofing. The inventive high strength adhesive is along at least one edge of the sheet membrane, and could also be used to embed the reflectivity granular particle.