FOUNDATION SUBSTRUCTURE

PROJECT CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

1. Building stake out

2. Excavation and placement of rebar

3. Foundation

4. Under slab utilities and stem wall

5. Placement of concrete on slab

6. Masonry/frame walls and columns and layout of interior

walls

7. Floor and roof framing, wall and roof sheathing prior to

roofing

8. Roofing

9. Drywall, plaster, plumbing, electrical and HVAC

10. Punch listing

11. Rectification

12. Handover
RANKING OF SOIL FOR FOUNDATION

1. Best: sand and gravel

2. Good: medium to hard clays

3. Poor: silt and soft clays

4. Undesirable: organic silts and clays

5. Unsuitable: peat

Substructure in General
A. Foundation
1. Functional Requirements and Performance
Safely transfers building loads to

ground
¡ Anchors the building against wind

and seismic loads

¡ Isolates building from expansive

soils

2. Ethiopian Building Code Stipulations

Reaching an adequate bearing stratum

¡ Shrinking and swelling of clay soils due to weather changes or

trees and shrubs may cause appreciable movements

¡ Level of water table in the ground and problems which may occur

during excavation

¡ Possible ground movements and reduction of strength of the

bearing stratum by seepage, climatic affects or construction

procedure

Effects of excavations on nearby foundations and structures

Working space requirements

¡ Dimensions of the wall or column supported by the foundation

FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION TYPES

Precast construction

Definition:

Plant-Cast Precast Concrete

• Concrete elements, cast and cured in a manufacturing

plant, then transported to the construction site.

• Plant casting allows increased efficiency and higher quality

Control

Durable, permanent steel forms are reused many times,

reducing formwork costs compared to sitecast concrete.

Structural elements

are commonly

reinforced with tightly

stretched

pretensioned steel

strands, which

provide increased

structural efficiency.

On the construction site,

precast concrete

elements are lifted into

place and assembled

into structural assemblies

in a process similar to

that used for structural

steel.
PRECAST,
PRESTRESSED
CONCRETE
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTS
Precast Concrete Columns
and Wall Panels
• Precast concrete wall
panels may be solid (right),
hollow, or sandwiched
(with an insulating core).
• Wall panels can be ribbed,
to increase their vertical
span capacity while
minimizing weight, or
formed into other special
shapes (below).

Assembly Concepts for

Precast Concrete
Buildings
• Vertical support can be
provided by precast
columns and beams
(above), wall panels
(below), or a
combination of all three.
• The choice of roof and
floor slab elements
depends mainly on span
requirements.
• Precast slab elements
are frequently also used
with other vertical
loadbearing systems
such as sitecast
concrete, reinforced
masonry, or steel.
Casting Hollow Core
Planks
• Precast concrete
elements are
shipped to the
construction site by
truck and erected
on site by crane.
Precast Concrete
Construction and
Seismic Design
• In areas of high
seismic risk, structures
must be designed to
respond safely to the
dynamic forces
imparted into the
structure.