Wall Facts for Kids

A wall is a flat, upright surface that divides spaces, usually in buildings. Walls can create separate rooms or protect buildings from the outside. They are often made from stone or brick. Walls have two main jobs: to hold up the top parts of a building, like the roof or upper floors, and to divide areas. They also offer protection from things like invasion, people trying to escape, and bad weather.

Long ago, before strong artillery (like cannons) was invented, many cities had big protective walls around them. These walls helped defend the city from attackers. Today, most city walls have been taken down because they are no longer useful for defense against modern weapons.

When people say "the Wall," they usually mean the Berlin Wall. This wall was built during the Cold War and separated East and West Berlin. It fell in 1989. "The Wall" can also refer to a famous music album by the band Pink Floyd.

Walls That Hold Back Earth
Main Kinds of Walls
Other Interesting Walls
Images for kids
See also

Walls That Hold Back Earth

A retaining wall is a special structure built to hold back soil or earth from falling down. These walls are used in places where the ground needs to be kept stable, like when building roads or creating flat areas for farming.

Some types of retaining walls are:

Anchored wall
Cantilever wall
Gravity wall
Piling wall

Main Kinds of Walls

Walls That Support Weight

A load-bearing wall is a very important part of a building's structure. It carries the weight from the roof and any floors above it, all the way down to the building's foundation. These walls support other parts of the building, like beams and slabs.

Walls That Don't Support Weight

A non-load-bearing wall does not help hold up the main structure of a building. It only supports its own weight. These walls do not carry the weight of floors or roofs above them. Most of these are inside walls that simply divide a building into different rooms.

Walls That Divide Rooms

A partition wall is used to separate different spaces within a building. It can be a solid wall, made of brick or stone, or it can be a framed structure. Partition walls are securely attached to the floor, ceiling, and other walls. They are strong enough to hold themselves up and can resist impacts. They also help block sound and are often designed to be fire resistant.

Walls With a Gap Inside

A cavity wall is made of two separate walls, with a space or gap in between them. These two walls are sometimes called "leaves" or "skins." If the wall doesn't carry weight, both parts might be the same thickness. If it's a load-bearing wall, the inner part might be thicker to meet building strength needs. The gap helps with insulation and prevents dampness.

Walls With a Thin Outer Layer

A veneered wall has a thin outer layer of material, often brick or stone, placed over a different structural wall. The most common type is a brick veneer. This outer layer is usually just one brick thick. Veneered walls became very common when building codes started requiring insulation inside walls. They are lighter than solid walls and can be built quickly.

Other Interesting Walls

Firewall: A wall that stops fires from spreading, or a computer system that protects a network.
Wallpaper: Decorative paper used to cover and decorate the inner walls of rooms.
Great Wall of China: A very long series of walls built across China to protect its borders.