Lecture Two Foundations

For the purposes of this course, the envelope is subdivided

into:
1) Foundations
2) Floors
3) Exterior walls (inclusing windows)
4) Roofs
5) Interior walls

Ground conditions

Soil
Soil is the general term applied to earth material.
The type of foundation is dictated by the soil
beneath the topsoil, as determined by a soil test
(drilling on site).
 Soil is tested for its bearing capacity:
1) Clay: elastic, problematic
2) Fill: unacceptable
3) Hardpan: (compacted mixture of clay, sand, etc.) good
bearing
4) Inorganic silt: dangerous
In general, foundations should not be placed on organic soil.
5) Organic silt: too compressible for use
6) Peat: no good
7) Rock: best to rest foundations on of it can be reached
easily
8) Sand, Gravel: good base unless the sand is too fine

Water
1) A high groundwater table might affect soil bearing and
increase the cost of excavation. It also might make the removal
of water from the foundation difficult.

2) Rainwater can harm the foundation by deformation. It can

actually lift the buidling.

3) Design considerations to deal with water conditions include

waterproofing and sump pumps.

Heaving
Heaving is cause by the expansion of soil when frozen.
Foundations must extend below the frost line, the lowest level
at which soil freezes.
1) Frost line in Montreal: 1,2 m
2) Frost line in James Bay: 1.8 m
3) Frost line in Florida: 0.0 m
 Settlement occurs on all foundations except those built on
rock (due to soil compression and the water table).
Settlement is acceptable as long as it is uniform.

Loads transferred from a building through its foundation and

into the soil must be spread out in order to avoid exceeding the
maximum allowable load on a small area of soil.
Spread footings are used to expand the area upon which a load
is applied to the soil.
In large buildings loads are too great ever to be applied to soil,
and piles are used to extend the foundation to an acceptable
depth.
Foundations in small buildings

Piers
Piers are posts driven (or poured) into the ground to support a
building. They are rarely used in Canada because of the cold
allowed underneath the structure, but are common for decks,
summer cottages, and in rocky terrain.

Footings
Loads must be spread under the building. Common footings
are made of concrete, and are cast in place at the bottom of a
trench.
Footings must be provided under the following elements:
1) Exterior walls
2) Load bearing interior walls
3) Fireplaces (if made of masonry or concrete)
4) Columns
Footings can be used in the folllowing ways:
1) Strip footing under walls
2) Individual footings under columns
3) Raft footings under entire buildings
Foundation walls
1) Perimeter walls (for houses without basements) are built to
about 1.2 m below the frost line in Montreal. The space
between the lowest used floor and the ground is called the
crawl space. Crawl spaces are unheated.
2) Basement walls are built a minimum of 1.2 m below grade
in Montreal but may go deeper depending on how high off the
ground will be acceptable for the main floor.

Design process

The actual design of foundations is governed by the building

codes (National building code, Quebec building code, and
Montreal 1900). The code specifies structural requirements,
fire resistance of materials used, access and egress, etc.
Materials used for foundations
1) Thick unreinforced concrete
2) Concrete block
3) Impregnated wood, although rare and expensive
Anchoring methods for securing the building to the foundation:
1) Bolt cast into the poured concrete and attached to building
walls
2) Special metal supports cast into the concrete
3) Welding plates cast into the concrete (used in steel
construction)
4) Anchor nails or rams cast into foundation (used for partition
walls only)
Drainage
Drainage must be provided once the foundation is laid, and
before the excavated area is backfilled.

Drainage:
· Commonly, drainage is accomplished by laying perforated
plastic pipe around the foundation and running away from the
structure on a downward slope.
· The excavated area is then backfilled with crushed stone and
gravel (with a topsoil cover).
· Water runs through the backfill, into the pipe, and is carried
away from the structure.
Waterproofing is required because concrete is a porous
material. Methods include:
1) Asphalt (painted on)
2) Hot pitch and felt paper layers
3) Extruded polystyrene insulation applied to the exterior of
the wall

Insulation
Insulation is best applied to the exterior of the wall. Such
insulation must be rigid to the frost line.
Floors

Lowest floor
The lowest floor of building
involves more intricate design
work than do any of the others.
There are four positions for the
lowest floor:
1) Underground basement floor
2) At ground level. Resting on a
grade (slab on grade)
3) Over a crawl space
4) Suspended in air
Design considerations for
UNDERGROUND FLOORS:
1) Material: commonly a
concrete slab is used because of
the rotting inherent in wood.
2) Drainage: see drainage around
basement wall
3) Sump: if thefloor is below the
water table, a sump pump will
be necessary
4) Insulation: less important if
floor rests below frost line
5) Waterproofing: poly, rubber
additive or coating applied to
lower surface

Design considerations for SLAB

ON GRADE system:
1) Structure (commonly poured
concrete)
a) Bearing slabs have thickend
edges which act as footings.
b) Nonbearing slabs rest on
independently poured footings.
2) Waterproofing: as with
basement
3) Drainage: Granular fill must
be applied under slab
4) Insulation: rigid systems must
be used
5) Heating: may be installed in
slab (electrically)
Design characteristics of
CRAWL SPACES:
1) Crawl space is ventilated
2) Insulation: a variety of
systems exist
3) A vapor barrier is installed on
the warm side of the floor.
4) Structure: identical to
suspended floors (generally
wood construction)
5) Reasons for the use of crawl
space systems:
a. Warmer than slab on grade
b. Duct can runbelow below
floor
c. Esasier instlalation of services
below floor

Design considerations when

lowest floor is SUSPENDED
above ground:
1) Reasons for use include
flooding, a tropical climate,
pilotis, and low cost.
2) Insulation considerations are
very important (in Canada this is
quite impractical as a system)
3) Floor can not be cold, heating
cables may be required in some
circumstances
4) Protection must be provided
for the underside of the floor.