Following previous work carried out in Building Research Institute in Japan, finite element analyses of conceptual column designs are performed in this paper. The effectiveness of the numerical model is evaluated by experimental tests and parametric studies are conducted to determine influential factors in conceptual column designs. First, three different column designs are analysed: bonded, un-bonded, and un-bonded with additional reinforcing bars. The load-displacement curves and cracking patterns in concrete are obtained and compared with experimental ones. The comparisons indicate that the finite element model is able to reflect the experimental results closely. Both numerical and experimental results show that, the introduction of un-bonded zones in a column end can reduce cracking strains, accordingly reduce the stiffness and strength as well; the addition of extra reinforcement in the un-bonded zones can offset the losses of the stiffness and strength. To decide the proper length of the un-bonded zones and the sufficient amount of the additional reinforcing bars, parametric studies are carried out on their influences. It has been found that the stiffness of un-bonded designs slightly decreases with increasing the length of the un-bonded zones and increases with the size of the additional reinforcing bars.