AbstractThe study of the torsional response of buildings in the inelastic range of behaviour is of great interest since the ability of structures to resist strong earthquakes mainly relies on their ductility and capacity for energy dissipation. Furthermore, an examination of the performance of structures during past earthquakes demonstrates that plan‐asymmetric buildings suffered greater damage due to torsional response. The paper deals with this subject by analysing a model which idealizes a one‐storey building with resisting elements oriented along two perpendicular directions. In addition to the parameters of the elastic behaviour, the inelastic system response depends on full yield capacity and plan‐wise strength distribution. The influence of the criterion adopted for the design of resisting elements on local ductility demand and damage has been evaluated by parametric analysis. In particular, a comparison has been carried out between systems with equal design levels for all elements and systems with design levels dependent on the element location. For a given elastic behaviour and total capacity, the strength distributions in plan have been defined which minimize ductility demand and structural damage. Finally, based on these findings, responses from models designed according to several seismic codes have been com
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