Concentrically braced frames are efficient seismic resistant systems: they have high-lateral stiffness for drift control and the earthquake-induced energy is dissipated by the diagonal bracing members only, without involving the gravity framing system. The energy dissipation capacity of concentric braces is strongly reduced by brace buckling. In order to improve the dissipation capacity of braces, eccentric braces or elasto-plastic dissipation devices may be used to obtain highly dissipative braces. The most widely used braces with elasto-plastic devices are Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) made of an internal yielding core with a proper length, whose buckling is properly prevented by the external part of the brace. BRBs have been used extensively for seismic applications in Japan and United States due to their simple and efficient behaviour, as testified by several applications described in the technical literature. They are also included in code recommendations, such as the American seismic provisions, which considers BRBs as a particular kind of concentrically braces and proposes Force-Based-Design (FBD) methods, based on the force-reduction factor R and on the simplified height-dependent formula to evaluate the first structural period, to design steel frames with this kind of bracings. As demonstrated by several applications, such a design approach furnishes satisfactory results, even if structural performances such as inter-storey drifts and ductility demand of BRBs are only checked at the end of the design procedure. Recently Displacement-Based-Design (DBD) procedure, have been developed for different structural systems. Since damages are directly related to displacements and deformations, DBD procedures permit to design for a specified level of damage and consequently they are considered one of the most effective design tool for the modern Performance-Based-Design (PBD).Unlike other kinds of structures (i.e. r.c. or steel moment resistant frames) where damages of structural and non structural element can be both efficiently controlled by one deformation measure only (usually the inter-storey drift), in steel frames with elasto-plastic dissipative braces damage of non structural elements is controlled by the inter-storey drift whereas damage of dissipative devices is controlled by the local strain.  A compatibility relation, depending on the brace geometry and on device configuration, relates this two quantities at each storey level. The aim of this paper is to investigate the implications of this compatibility relation on the seismic performance of steel frames with BRBs, by using a DBD procedure already developed by the authors for frames with bracing systems based on elasto-plastic devices. In particular, the DBD procedure is applied to a benchmark frame with V-bracing systems equipped with BRBs, by assuming different pairs of the design inter-storey drift and design BRBs local strain. The obtained design solutions are illustrated are  critically discussed.