The seismic behavior of asymmetric building structures is often complex and reductions to plane problems which can be analyzed with a single horizontal ground-motion component are often deemed unsatisfactory. As a consequence, dynamic structural analyses with both horizontal ground-motion components become more common, both in research as well as in practice. A review of code provisions regarding selection and scaling of ground motions for bi-directional analysis has, however, revealed that the guidelines provided are frequently inconsistent or are lacking transparency regarding the underlying assumptions. The aim of this study is to shed some light on a number of aspects involved when selecting and scaling records for bi-directional analysis and post-processing results of such analyses.

The 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand revealed (1) improved structural response resulting from historical design advancements, (2) poor structural performance due to previously identified shortcomings that had been insufficiently addressed in design practice, and (3) new deficiencies that were not previously recognized because of premature failure resulting from other design flaws. This paper summarizes damage to concrete walls observed in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, proposes links between the observed response and specific design concerns, and offers suggestions for improving seismic design of walls in the following areas: amount of longitudinal reinforcement in wall end regions, suitable wall thickness to minimize the potential for out‐of‐plane buckling, and minimum vertical reinforcement requirements.