Ufc 3 310 04 seismic design for buildings participating agencies about wbdg wbdg is a gateway to up to date information on integrated whole building design techniques and technologies the goal of whole building design is to create a successful high performance building by applying an integrated design and team approach to the project . Tall buildings undergo several modes of vibration but the fundamental period or first mode is usually the most significant for seismic purposes note that other modes of vibration may be used for analysis with very tall buildings soil is another important factor to consider during seismic design. The usgs collaborates with organizations that develop building codes for buildings bridges and other structures to make seismic design parameter values available to engineers the design code developers first decide how usgs earthquake hazard information should be applied in design practice then the usgs calculates values of seismic design parameters based on usgs hazard. Design of buildings to resist earthquakes involves controlling the damage to acceptable levels at a reasonable cost contrary to the common thinking that any crack in the building after an earthquake means the building is unsafe for habitation engineers designing earthquake resistant buildings recognize that some damage is unavoidable