What is recommended size and shape of building for the protection in earthquake prone areas?

Some important points on size and shape are following:  

• All parts of a building should firmly be tied together and stiffly braced at corners in such a manner that the whole structure will tend to move as a unit. 


• A closed shape, square or similar shapes are preferable to U or L shapes. 


Buildings having plans with shapes like L, T, E and Y should preferably be separated into rectangular parts by providing separation or crumble sections at appropriate places. 


Shape of the structure: Buildings should be symmetrically designed with respect to mass and rigidity in such a way that the center of the mass coincides with center of the rigidity in order to avoid torsion. 


Do not build more than three storey on load bearing walls. Storey height should not be more than 3.2 m except for single story building. 


Minimum thickness of any load bearing wall should be 23cm.