Buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBF) offer effective lateral resistance by preventing global buckling of the brace core under compression, resulting in symmetric hysteretic loops and efficient energy dissipation. However, despite enhanced cyclic performance compared to conventional braces, BRBs still lack sufficient post-yielding stiffness, leading to excessive drifts. Core length reduction effectively increases BRB stiffness without altering core cross-sectional area. Braced bay beam-to-column connections also influence BRBF lateral response. Nonlinear static and dynamic analyses were conducted on 4 buildings, including 4, 7, 9, and 12-story structures, with conventional and reduced core length BRBs (RL-BRB) in diagonal and chevron configurations. RL-BRBs with 20 % and 40 % core lengths were evaluated, considering hinged and rigid connections. A 4-story dual SMRF-BRBF was included for comparison. Results show RL-BRBFs exhibit superior lateral response, increasing seismic response modification factors by approximately 30 % in DBE level and 66 % in MCE level, with added benefits of being replaceable, repairable, and cost-efficient compared to conventional BRBFs.