Reinforced concrete structural walls are used for buildings in seismic areas because they satisfy the resistance, rigidity, stability and ductility requirements imposed by earthquakes on buildings. Among the factors which influence the capacity of seismic energy dissipation of RC shear walls, an important role is played by the door and window openings by their dimensions and positioning. If until 1985 the scientific literature recommended shear walls with staggered openings for buildings with high settlements, the earthquake from Chile showed that they are able to dissipate a large amount of seismic energy. This article presents a comparison between the dissipated seismic energy determined by theoretical studies and experimental tests performed on five lamellar structural reinforced concrete walls: one without openings, one with vertically ordered openings and three with staggered openings, differentiated by the position of the openings. The results presented in this article confirm the capacity of walls with staggered openings to dissipate seismic energy. in function of the vertical positioning of the door openings, lacking special reinforcing measures.
