4.1 General
Masonry structures gain stability from the support offered by cross walls, floors, roof and other elements such as piers and buttresses. Load bearing walls are structurally more efficient when the load is uniformly distributed and the structure is so planned that eccentricity of loading on the members is as small as possible. Avoidance of eccentric loading by providing adequate bearing of floor/roof on the walls providing adequate stiffness in slabs and avoiding fixity at the supports, etc, is especially important in load bearing walls in multistorey structures. These matters should receive careful consideration during the planning stage of masonry structures.