Visual programming for macro-block analysis of multi-storey masonry buildings

This paper presents a Grasshopper (GH) plugin to evaluate the admissible out-of-plane mechanisms in multi-storey masonry buildings and visually display the possible locations for each admissible mechanism at which the failure can happen. Adopting the macro-block modelling approach, GH components are developed considered a limited number of geometric and construction parameters as inputs that allow the possible mechanisms. These include the quality of the connections between the building walls, applied strengthening devices, and the examined building location within an urban block. Modelling the building, all the potential mechanisms and their possible locations are demonstrated in a user-friendly and readable way. The plugin can finally compute the actual mechanism and its optimised geometry as well as the actual building out-of-plane capacity adopting the limit analysis method.