Confined masonry (CM) is considered one of the popular forms of low-cost and low-rise construction
throughout the world. Confined masonry consists of no reinforced masonry walls surrounded by concrete tiecolumns,
in the vertical direction, and tie-beams, in the horizontal direction. In some countries confined masonry
walls may include joint reinforcement. Although confined masonry structures are still a common masonry
construction system in several countries, the majority of them are built using plain masonry. All load-bearing
walls in confined masonry constructions must be confining on all sides with horizontal and vertical confining
elements. The goal of this research is to use a numerical analysis method using ANSYS software package to
evaluate the impact of confining elements such as tie-columns, in-plan walls, and out-plan walls on resisting
horizontal lateral loads. Finally, results and conclusions were provided from different finite element analysis
models of confined masonry buildings with various confining element configurations.