Road networks play a critical role in both everyday mobility and emergency response. However, earthquakes can compromise their functionality by damaging nearby buildings and causing debris to obstruct the pavement. Recent research highlights that debris from structural and non-structural components may extend beyond the building’s footprint, sometimes occupying a significant portion of adjacent roadways. This can hinder the passage of emergency vehicles and reduce the effectiveness of evacuation routes.

Despite growing interest in this issue, many existing studies rely on simplified assumptions or focus primarily on masonry buildings. There remains a gap in tools capable of accurately assessing debris generation from reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with infill walls, particularly when considering variations in construction period, number of storeys, and infill types.

This study introduces a new methodology to estimate debris resulting from the collapse of infill walls in RC buildings subjected to seismic loading. The proposed tool is based on nonlinear dynamic analyses of a set of buildings with diverse characteristics, including different heights, construction ages, and infill configurations. It quantifies both the volume of fallen material and its potential projection distance onto adjacent roads, for increasing levels of seismic intensity.

These results are essential for evaluating the risk of road blockage and for improving emergency planning and post-earthquake resilience in urban areas. By accounting for building typology and seismic intensity, the method provides a more detailed understanding of how infill wall failure can impact road accessibility and emergency operations.