A model for determining the arrangement and geometric specifications of infill walls in the architectural design to improve the seismic behavior of buildings

Experiences of past earthquakes show that the infill wall is one of the non-structural elements which has the highest collapse potential of the structure. Although architects are responsible for designing the form and arrangement of walls, little research has been done in this regard with the aim of architectural design. In this research, a method was developed to control the infill walls in the basic architectural design. In this method, architectural design features are preserved, and only by applying minor modifications to the specifications of walls, undesirable effects such as short column, soft story, and torsion are prevented and without using more materials, additional potential for seismic resistance of the building is provided. For this method, two accurate and approximate models were developed. In the accurate model which includes five algorithms, a structural model is required, so close collaboration between architect and structural engineer is necessary. In the approximate method which includes four algorithms, only geometric specifications of architectural design are required and architects can control the effects of infill walls on the structure. The results of the practical test of the approximate model indicated that this model can be used by various groups of architects. This model will not prevent the creativity of architects and the designer has a great degree of freedom in applying solutions.