Foundation

How it is used

Often used in the plural. Engineers design and specify foundations; contractors excavate for them and cast them. The main types are shallow foundations (pad, strip and raft) and deep foundations (piles).

Example sentences

1. The soil report recommends a raft foundation because the clay is soft.

2. We can't start the foundations until the excavation has been inspected.

Common collocations

• raft foundation
• shallow foundation
• deep foundation
• foundation design
• lay the foundations

Related terms

• footingA widened concrete base under a column or wall that spreads its load over a larger area of soil. Pad footings sit under columns and strip footings under walls.
• pileA long column of concrete or steel that is driven or drilled deep into the ground to carry a structure's load down to stronger soil or rock.
• bearing capacityThe maximum pressure the ground can safely carry from a foundation without failing or settling too much, usually given in kilopascals (kPa).
• settlementThe downward movement of a foundation or structure as the soil beneath it compresses under load. Some settlement is normal; too much causes cracks.
• site investigationThe study of ground conditions before design, using boreholes, trial pits and field and laboratory tests to find out what the soil and rock are like.

This word in other fields

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

• foundation · Architecture

More terms: Foundations and Soil

• backfill
• compaction
• retaining wall
• groundwater
• borehole