In this paper, the authors present a new arrangement of reinforcing bars to improve the ductility in RC base-story exterior columns the axial load to which severely changes during an earthquake. The new method is to arrange more amount of reinforcement eccentrically so that it works as compression steel when the axial load increases. Consequently it is expected that the compressive stress of the concrete is reduced, and the compressive failure of the concrete is greatly delayed. The effectiveness of this method is confirmed through an analytical and empirical investigation.
