Foundation Design
Foundations can be formed using a variety of methods. The design of foundations is dependent upon the ground conditions of the site. Usually a site investigation is conducted in order to determine the most suitable foundation solution.
Shallow foundations are foundations which transmit the loads of a building to the ground very near to the surface of the earth. Often foundations are supported by a series of strips and where there is concentrated load onto a pad. Raft slab foundations use the ground floor with localised thickenings to dissipate the buildings load to the ground.
It may be necessary to use deep foundations due to support heavy building loads or due to poor soil at shallow depths i.e. made ground. Deep foundations are often constructed using piles. Piles are either drilled or driven into the ground. Some common pile types include cast in-situ piles, pre-cast piles, micro piles and auger piles. Piles are connected using ground beams and groups of piles are held together in a pile cap.
