Abstract: The damping effect of energy dissipation system with viscous dampers is closely associated with their installation configurations in the structure. The damping requirement and simple convenient connection are mainly concerned in the existing viscous damper installation configurations, but the architectural requirements are not considered. Aiming at the drawback of existing viscous damper installation configurations, which occupy the entire bays in frames and obstruct the vision, a novel viscous damper installation configuration is proposed. The structure composition and working principle of the open viscous damper installation configuration were introduced. Its mechanical characteristics were analyzed theoretically, and the calculation formulas for the displacement magnification factor and effective damping ratio of the configuration were proposed. A steel frame specimen installed with open configuration was designed and produced. By applying sinusoidal displacement excitation on the specimen, the mechanical behavior under dynamic load and the relationship between the frame lateral displacement and the relative displacement of both ends of the damper under different displacement amplitudes and frequencies were analyzed, which verified the accuracy of the calculation formula for the magnification factor proposed in this paper. The seismic behavior of an uncontrolled steel frame structure and two controlled structures installed with diagonal brace and open viscous damper configurations were analyzed using SAP2000, which verified the feasibility of the open viscous damper installation configuration in practical engineering.