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Architecture vocabulary · Building Elements and Structure

Foundation

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/faʊnˈdeɪʃn/nounCore term

In architecture, foundation means: The lowest part of a building, usually below ground, which spreads the building's weight safely into the soil or rock.

In Turkish: temel

How it is used

Often used in the plural: 'the foundations'. Engineers design them after a soil investigation; common types are strip, pad and raft foundations and piles. Architects coordinate foundation levels with basements and site levels.

Example sentences

  1. Because of the poor soil, the engineer recommended a raft foundation.

  2. The foundations were laid in March and the frame went up over the summer.

Common collocations

  • lay the foundations
  • raft foundation
  • strip foundation
  • pile foundation
  • foundation level
  • structural systemThe set of connected elements, such as foundations, columns, beams, walls and slabs, that carries a building's loads safely down to the ground.
  • columnA vertical structural member, usually of concrete, steel or timber, that carries loads from beams and slabs down to the foundations.
  • load-bearing wallA wall that carries weight from the floors and roof above and transfers it down to the foundations, so it cannot be removed without adding another support.
  • slabA flat horizontal structural element, usually of reinforced concrete, that forms a floor or roof and spreads loads to beams, walls or columns.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Building Elements and Structure

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