ABSTRACT
Italian seismic events highlighted the high vulnerability frequently shown by non structural elements, especially masonry infill walls, whose severe damage caused heavy socio-economic effects. Since infills are generally executed without either adequate gaps or effective connections with respect to the confining structural members, their specific contribution, as well as their interaction with structural elements, can influence both local and global seismic performance. Many seismic codes all over the world provide specific additional measures for masonry infilled frames. In the New Zealand Recommendations approaches and procedures for the seismic evaluation of existing buildings of various materials and configurations are described and they also provide some guidance for improving their performance. In the framework, specific criteria to take into account the irregularities due to masonry infills considering both in plan and in elevation arrangement, as well as some provisions for damage limitation in the design of new buildings, are provided.
