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Make sure it doesn’t work the wrong way.

The downward transfer of structural forces through a building is the load path. Loads sometimes follow a path different from the one intended, which can result in structural failure. For example, every beam will sag slightly under normal loading. If a nonstructural partition is built directly under it, the beam may transmit its loads to the partition. The partition may deform, or it might transfer the loads from the beam to the floor below, causing the floor to sag or even fail.

Figuring out how to make a system work is as important as figuring out how to make it not work in undesirable ways.

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