Foundation Design and Construction

Abstract

The purpose of this document is to give guidance for the design and construction of foundations in Hong Kong. It is aimed at professionals and supervisory personnel involved in the design and construction of foundations. The document has been prepared on the assumption that the reader has some general knowledge of foundations. Foundations can be classified as shallow and deep foundations, depending on the depth of load-transfer from the structure to the ground. The definition of shallow foundations varies in different publications. BS 8004 (BSI, 1986) adopts an arbitrary embedment depth of 3 m as a way to define shallow foundations. In the context of this document, a shallow foundation is taken as one in which the depth to the bottom of the foundation is less than or equal to its least dimension (Terzaghi et al, 1996). Deep foundations usually refer to piles installed at depths and are :