Critical review of the EC8 design provisions for buildings with eccentric braces

The objections raised by researchers to the design provisions reported in Eurocode 8 make the efficient seismic performance of the eccentrically braced structures designed according to this code unlikely. Given the rationality and the number of the objections, this paper aims to summarize the criticism of researchers and report the opinion of the Authors. The objections raised to the design procedure of eccentrically braced structures regard aspects common to the design of steel structures and aspects specifically related to the design of eccentrically braced structures. The significance of these objections is also shown by means of exemplary cases.