One of the requirements of this design challenge was to protect houses from natural disasters.  It's hard to protect a house from any disasters, but as much as possible, we try to reduce the risk.  One of the disasters was earthquakes, and I thought that the best way to prevent this from affecting the house, is similar to sound proofing a room, which is to provide a medium to absorb vibrations.  I just think that water is the cheapest and natural material for the job.  According to the site, the foundation consists of a concrete box filled with plastic or foam.  I wanted to use plastic drums (similar to the ones they attach to a harpoon when catching a shark) attached to a concrete slab, then use anchor bolts to attach the house's walls.  I wanted to use shredded used clothings and/or sawdust as insulations.