Floor design for house built with hollow clay blocks. Can I use steel?

[Gary Clay Block]

Hello
I'm self building a house in New York that will be the first home built in the US utilizing Porotherm insulated hollow clay blocks. My architect/engineer designed the cement floors with steel beams to support a floating wall on the 2nd floor. I am being helped by a consultant from France who has built many structures with Porotherm who says that the steel is incompatible with the clay blocks, and the deflection in the steel beams will cause the wall to crack. The clay blocks sit directly atop one another with no mortar and allow for no deflection. He says the house must be built using bidirectional concrete slabs Link. I'm not sure how to proceed. The footings and foundation are schedule to be poured in 4 weeks and I need to get this resolved. If anyone here is familiar with the materials I'm using who could help guide me, I would be greatly appreciative.
Thank you,
Gary in the Catskills, bewildered

Gary in New York
building house with Hollow Clay Blocks

 

[phamENG]

Never heard of that material, but I can tell you that no material has zero deflection. 2-way slabs deflect. L/infinity isn't a valid deflection design criteria.

You need get your consultants together and decide what the deflection limit is. Steel can be designed to resist deflections. So can slabs.

 

[SinStrucEng]

What on God's green earth

 

[XR250]

I imagine the material cannot take the point load of the steel beams. Maybe you could add steel columns within or outside of the wall to support the steel.

 

[Klitor]

I would try to avoid 'floating' load bearing walls alltogether while using porotherm blocks...but generally if the steel beam under the wall is very rigid, say designed to deflect no more than span/600 it can be ok.
Also as xr250 said, check point loads on bearings

 

[LittleInch]

https://www.wienerberger.co.uk/products/clay-blocks.html

Has some guides.

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