The present invention relates to a wall reinforcement system, in
particular for tying a veneer wall (21) to a back up wall (22). The
system can protect a building against adverse seismic or wind loading
conditions. A helical wall tie (1) is driven into a back-up wall (22)
using a percussion tool. A connector (10) is then placed over the end of
the wall tie, the connector engaging with the helical fins to prevent its
removal without unscrewing the connector (10). A reinforcement wire (20),
which preferably extends around a building, is then threaded through a
hole in the connector to lock the rotation of the connector (10). The
reinforcement wire is used to link a series of connectors together. The
wire is then encased in mortar (24) within the bed joint between two
courses of bricks. In preferred embodiments, more than two reinforcement
wires extend in parallel along the bed joint.