International Scenario of Codes for Design and Strengthening of Masonry Structures

Masonry structures are one of the oldest forms of construction though not obsolete and are still in practice all over the world. Masonry Codes are necessary for design of new masonry structures and codes are also required for a large inventory of existing masonry structures which need strengthening. Very few codes are available for strengthening of masonry structures which do not meet all requirements. The objective of this paper is to study various masonry codes available for above mentioned purposes and to identify the areas where masonry codes are required to be established. In this paper, the review of available masonry codes from number of countries has been presented to understand the global scenario of masonry codes. The Indian scenario of masonry codes is discussed in detail.