draaggangen

Draaggangen is a Dutch term that can be used to refer to passages within a building or structure that serve a dual function as routes for people or goods and as elements that carry or transfer loads. The word combines dragen, meaning to bear or carry, with gangen, meaning passages or corridors. In contemporary architectural practice the term is not widely used, and more common phrases are load-bearing elements or load-bearing construction.

In architectural and historical contexts, draaggangen may describe galleries, corridors, or walkways that are integrated into the structural system and contribute to load transfer. Such passages can be constructed as part of floors, roofs, or façades and may help distribute forces to vertical supports like columns or bearing walls. In older buildings, certain timber or vaulted structures featured passage-like spaces whose forms also played a role in the overall stability of the building.

Design considerations for draaggangen focus on structural behavior, safety, and usability. The concept emphasizes how pathways can be part of the load path, requiring adequate cross-sections, secure connections to supports, and compatibility with fire safety, accessibility, and service routing. When a passage is designed as a bearing element, engineers must verify its capacity to carry anticipated loads and maintain redundancy.

Relation to related terms: draaggangen are distinguished from purely non-structural corridors and are associated with the broader idea of load-bearing construction (draagconstructie), including elements such as draagmuur (bearing wall) and draagvloer (slab). In current vernacular, the term is seldom used, with preference given to explicit structural terminology.