<p>Meta-material based periodic isolation systems represent a novel vibration mitigation approach for civil engineering infrastructure, offering an alternative to conventional base isolation systems such as lead–rubber bearings and elastomeric bearings. The configuration of unit cells in a periodic isolation system plays a crucial role in attenuating vibration-causing waves through frequency band gaps. New unit cell configurations for one-dimensional meta-material based isolation systems have been introduced in the present study to achieve wider band gaps with reduced material usage. Small-scale experimental investigations have been conducted to validate the bandgap characteristics of the proposed configurations against numerical (finite element analysis) and analytical (plane wave expansion) approaches. The study has specifically investigated the effect of (i) variation of thickness of layers within the unit cell, (ii) combination of unit cells with distinct periodicities, and (iii) replacement of solid steel layers with hollow steel layers to reduce material cost. The investigation results have demonstrated the practical feasibility and enhancement of isolation effectiveness with the investigated configurations of unit cells. Finally, a full-scale, practically implementable meta-material based foundation has been modelled and analysed with ten-storey and two-storey superstructure frames. The numerical results have validated that meta-material based foundations can serve as an effective vibration isolation technique for civil engineering structures across varying frequencies of excitations.</p>