This article is written against the backdrop of the work of the European standardisation committees on the amendment of EN 1996‐1‐1 [N 4] which will also exert an influence on the design of reinforced masonry in Germany. This paper focusses on the design approaches of DIN EN 1996‐1‐1 for untensioned reinforced masonry beams under shear load in the ultimate limit state (ULS). Proposals are made to discuss their revision. The contents of E DIN 1053‐3 [N 3] and of the final draft of the guideline ”Flat Lintels” [7] are taken into account.

This article investigates the transferability of the Simplified Modified Compression Field Theory (SMCFT) [2], which is known in reinforced concrete design and included in the fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 (Volume 3) [1], to reinforced or prestressed masonry beams (RM beams) with or without an additional layer of concrete. The investigation for this work is the obsolete shear design concept that has been used until now for reinforced masonry under shear loading, which does not adequately reflect the actual load-bearing behaviour of significant areas of masonry. The fundamentals of the SMCFT are explained and the transferability of the theory to RM beams is examined, taking into account in particular the different material properties of masonry compared to reinforced concrete. A first approach for future application is represented by the equations presented here for the determination of the shear force capacity of RM beams. The verification is performed through a comparison of the shear resistances determined experimentally (exp.) and by calculation (calc.).

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This year´s CIB Commission meeting of the working group “W023–Wall Structures” took place in Berlin, Germany October 10–11, 2011.The participants were welcomed by the commission coordinator Silvino Pompeu Santos and the host of the meeting Professor Wolfram Jaeger in cooperation with the Bundesvereinigung der Prüfingenieure für Bautechnik e.V. (BVPI).The meeting started with a one‐day workshop focused on experiences and applications regarding Eurocode 6. The second day of the meeting was reserved for news and actions within the commission and short summaries of CIB members regarding their several activities in the area of masonry. After that there was an interesting presentation on last tendencies in house construction. Petra Michaely from the office of Professor Werner Sobek spoke about the “Efficiency House Plus with Electric Mobility” which is built in co‐operation with the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development.We would like to thank the experts who have presented their experiences in masonry with EC 6 as well as the sponsors and supporters Wienerberger Germany and Austria, IWM Industrieverband Werkmörtel, BVPI Berlin and the Checking Engineer Prof. Wolfram Jaeger Radebeul/Dresden. Furthermore, thanks to all commission members from all over the world for coming to Germany and for creating such a successful meeting. Below you will find some abstracts of the presentations to share with you the topics we have spoken about. Proceedings of the meeting will be available electronically later on the website of the commission (www.cibworld.nl).