Category: 3: FOUNDATIONS

Because of the public safety considerations that are involved, building codes contain numerous provisions relating to the design and construction of excavations and foundations. The IBC defines which soil types are considered satisfactory for bearing the weight of buildings and establishes a set of requirements for subsurface exploration, soil testing, and submission of soil reports…

Normally, the substructure of a building is completed before work begins on its superstructure. If the building has several levels of basements, however, substructure work can take many months or even years. In such a case, up–down construction is sometimes an economical option, even if its first cost is somewhat more than that of the normal procedure,…

All foundations settle to some extent as the earth materials around and beneath them adjust to the loads of the building. Foundations on bedrock settle a negligible amount. Foundations in other types of soil may settle much more. As an extreme example, Mexico City’s Palace of Fine Arts has settled more than 15 feet (4.5…

A building foundation must support different kinds of loads: • Dead load, the combined weight of all the permanent components of the building, including its own structural frame, floors, roofs, and walls, major permanent electrical and mechanical equipment, and the foundation itself • Live loads, nonpermanent loads caused by the weights of the building’s occupants, furnishings, and…