load-bearing structure
Weight-carrying architectural element
A load-bearing structure is any architectural element that supports weight from above and transfers it to the foundation—walls, columns, beams, or frames that hold up a building.
Removing or altering load-bearing elements without proper reinforcement risks collapse: The contractor confirmed it was a load-bearing wall before we knocked it down.
The term extends metaphorically to anything essential that supports a larger system.
- beamStructural support member
- I beamFlanged steel support
- columnVertical structural element
- pillarUpright architectural support
- foundationUnderlying support structure
joist · truss · girder · steel frame · framework · support · holding up · scaffold · arch · buttress · skeleton · spine · weight · stress · stress test · steel · concrete · brick and mortar
load-bearing structuredecorative element
Non-functional aesthetic addition
decorative trim · curtain wall · decorative molding · veneer · partition wall
load-bearing structuretemporary structure
Non-permanent built form
load, loads, loaded, loading, loader, unload, unloaded, unloading, overload