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The goal of any anti-seismic construction or retrofitting is to prevent a structure from being damaged in the event of a seismic event. What happens in an earthquake is that the moving ground causes shear forces that buckle the supports of a building, causing collapse. It is important to know that no building is earthquake proof, though buildings can be designed to withstand significant events. There are four general methods of protecting a building against seismic events.

The first is reinforcement, which generally entails strengthening a structure overall to prevent it from collapsing during a seismic event. The goal is simply to make the internal structure of a building strong enough to withstand any shear forces resulting from an earthquake.

The second method employed is damping, which absorbs the energy of seismic shock waves, preventing them from shearing the supports of a structure. An example of a damping method is using a 'slosh tank', a large tank of water placed in an upper floor of a building with specially designed baffles that prevent the tank from resonating with the building.

A third method is isolation. Essentially, the structure itself is separated from the foundation by rubber pads or other methods. When the foundation moves, the inertia of the building causes it to remain stationary and thus unharmed, though still supported by the padding.

Last, and most modern, is the hybrid system. This system essentially makes use of newer materials that can flex without shearing, thus preventing catastrophic collapse.

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