The effect of vertical building characteristics upon the seismic resistance of unreinforced masonry building aggregates

Abstract

A significant proportion of the Maltese building stock is made up of unreinforced masonry which, in most cases, does not conform with any earthquake design reinforcements imposed by seismic design codes. Efforts and improvements in implementing these standards have been made, both in the design of the steel buildings and of reinforced concrete frames. Conversely, the techniques used in constructing new buildings using unreinforced masonry did not improve when compared with those buildings, which were constructed prior to the introduction of seismic codes.