The Foothill Communities Law and Justice Center, located in seismically active Southern California, is the first building in the United States to be base isolated for seismic resistance. Natural rubber isolators with layers of steel plates were used to make the fundamental period of vibration of the base isolated building about twice as long as that for a comparable conventional fixed base building. Most earthquake energy is present in the shorter period ranges, and at longer periods, a building should be subjected to less earthquake input; this will allow buildings to be designed more economically and increase the likelihood of less damage, both structural and non- structural. The experience of the Law and Justice Center after three small earthquakes suggest that the concept is not only feasible, but may be the wave of the future for what would be relatively short period buildings
