Protecting buildings ranks among the oldest means of defence against avalanches. Action is taken to minimise the extent of damage that an avalanche can cause to the individual building. It is an efficient method of reducing the risk to which people and property are exposed. Among the typical measures are wall reinforcement, the erection of a solid structure (Spaltkeil), rather like a log splitting wedge, to break the avalanche, and a building design (Ebenhöch) in which the roof seamlessly merges with the terrain or an embankment.