EAR 2202 BUILDING TECHNOLOGY II

EXCAVATIONS AND BASEMENTS

A basement is the part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level. It is
defined as a storey with a floor which at some point is more than 1,200 mm below the highest
level of ground adjacent to the outside walls.

In the construction of basements, the following should be considered:

i. Excavation work
ii. Dewatering
iii. Temporary supports
iv. Construction below ground: strength and stability due to soil and water
pressure
v. Waterproofing

3.0 EXCAVATIONS
3.1 Excavation Methods for Basement Construction
a) Open Excavations eliminates the need for temporary works to support the
sides of the excavations by using battered excavation sides cut back to a safe
angle of repose.

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b) Perimeter Trench Excavations ~ in this method a trench wide enough for the
basement walls to be constructed is excavated and supported with timbering
as required.

c) Complete Excavation ~ this method can be used in firm subsoils where the
centre of the proposed basement can be excavated first to enable the basement
slab to be cast thus giving protection to the subsoil at formation level. The
sides of excavation to the perimeter of the basement can be supported from
the formation level using raking struts or by using raking struts pitched from
the edge of the basement slab.

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3.2 Excavating Equipment
Back actor

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Face shovel

4.0 BASEMENT CONSTRUCTION

4.1 Waterproofing Basements

There are three categories of basement waterproofing

a) Tanking

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A continuous waterproof barrier is applied to the inside or outside of the basement
structure. The most common form is a bituminous sheet. Whilst this is relatively
inexpensive, it can lose adhesion and is easily damaged during backfilling.
Alternatively, an external membrane can be painted or sprayed onto the external
surface which can be covered by a drainage board to allow provide protection from
the backfill.

b) Structurally integral protection

This is chemically-enhanced water-resistant concrete which can be used in
combination with a waterproof membrane and water tight joints.
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 c) Drained cavity
Cavities are formed within between the internal and external wall and floor
constructions to collect and drain away water entering the basement using a sump
and pump. As well as the internal drain, a perimeter drain may also be included.
This runs around the external perimeter of the building just below the level of the
foundation, removing water from the building’s external face.

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