The seismic damages of buildings were investigated according to the information obtained by the authors from Post 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake emergency hazard assessment of buildings sponsored by the Ministry of Construction.The patterns and the causes of building damages were studied from the aspects of brick structures

RC frame structures

conformation problems

and defects in design or construction.Problems in structural design were discussed

and suggestions to solve these problems were proposed.Main conclusions are as follows: The insufficient strength of bottom walls

large space in plan

and complex shapes are the significant damaging causes of brick structures.Therefore

the strength of bottom walls should be improved

the space between two structural walls should be limited in a reasonable range

and the members in the places of varied configuration of buildings should be strengthened.The wall under windows may be taken as a coupling beam and should be designed as the seismic resistance member in the first order.The frame-infill interaction should be considered in RC frame design.Sections of columns of RC frames should be enlarged on the basis of design codes.Stirrups in columns near the joint should be closed or shaped as a helix.The anchor and joint of non-structural member should be strengthened.Plates or the beams of stairs should be taken into account to evaluate the general behavior of the structures subjected to seismic action.Constructions in rural areas must be supervised so that the incorrect structural system may be eliminated.