Use of new antiseismic techniques is certainly suitable for buildings of strategic
importance and, in general, in the case of very high risk. For ordinary buildings,
instead, the cost of base isolation system should be balanced by an equivalent saving
in the structure. In this paper the comparison criteria have been first defined, and
then a large numerical investigation has been carried out to analyze the effectiveness
and the economic suitability of seismic isolation, using elastomeric isolators and
sliders, in reinforced concrete buildings.