International Research Journal of Education and Technology

Throughout history, mankind has been fascinated by multi-story buildings, initially constructed for defensive and later religious purposes. However, the height of tall buildings makes them more susceptible to lateral forces from wind or seismic movements, which can lead to collapse or bending. Stability, stiffness, lateral deflection resistance, and overturning moment resistance become critical factors in such structures. Shear walls, as structural elements, play a significant role in providing ductility, lateral stiffness, strength, and energy dissipation capacity.

In many cases, structural walls need to have openings to accommodate various functional needs such as doors, windows, and service ducts. However, these openings can reduce the rigidity of the shear wall, depending on their size and shape.

The objective of the current parametric study is to investigate and critically evaluate the impact of different opening sizes in shear walls on the behavior and reactions of multi-story buildings, specifically focusing on the Opening Area Effect of Core Type Shear Wall in Hospital Buildings with the Highest Importance Factor. The analysis is conducted using the Staad-Pro software and the Response Spectrum method (1893–2016) on various G+20 storey prototype structures with different types of shear wall openings, some of which reduce the volume of shear wall in the border elements.

The comprehensive investigation reveals that the case of HIF5 has been the most effective in the study. According to IS 1893:2016, the hospital building can be preserved with the highest importance factor of I = 1.5 for the opening area effect of core type shear walls. Additionally, it is suggested that seismic harm will not occur as long as the openings are limited to 25%.

Key Words: Opening Area, Core Type Shear Wall, Shear Wall, Highest Importance Factor