The foundations are the part of the building that no one will see and that decides everything else. If the anchor points don't fit, the structure won't fit either — and it's expensive to fix.
Three methods of establishment
Feet under the columns. The most common solution for steel halls. The steel structure transfers the load to individual points, so a reinforced concrete footing is made under each column. Between them, there are foundation passes or thresholds that support the perimeter wall and plinth. Basic passports. A continuous strip under the perimeter wall. It is combined with heels. Piles — deep foundations. If there is no load-bearing soil at a sufficient depth, there is no flat foundation to stand on. Then the load is transferred deeper using piles.
This is not a decision based on budget, but based on geology. For one of our halls with an area of 3,400 m², a deep foundation was a requirement — and in the southern part of the building, an angular reinforced concrete retaining wall was added, also on piles, because the terrain abutted the building.
When the hall is not level
Sloping land adds another task: support structures.
Either the terrain is leveled with an embankment, or the object is partially sunk into the slope. The second option looks better in the countryside, but it means that not only its own weight and wind, but also the soil is pushing on the perimeter walls. The pressure of the soil, waterproofing against soil moisture and drainage of water that flows to the building on the slope are then dealt with.
For wine and agricultural buildings, this is more the rule than the exception — they are almost never level.
Anchoring: millimeters make the difference
The steel structure is anchored to the foundation with threaded rods or chemical anchors and poured with mortar. This means that the position of the anchor points must correspond to the production documentation of the structure — not approximately, but exactly.
Therefore, geodetic marking of anchor points is done before concreting, and after concreting, the actual condition is measured. When the deviation is discovered only during assembly, it is solved either by modifying the structure on site or by demolishing it.
This is also the main reason why it pays to have foundations and construction from one supplier. When someone else does them, the inconsistency starts the haggling — and no one cares more about that than the investor paying for the downtime.
What affects the price of foundations
- the bearing capacity of the subsoil — the most fundamental factor, is determined by a geological survey
- construction weight — a lighter steel hall has less demands than a concrete one
- groundwater level — pumping during excavation is an extra item
- slope of the land — support structures and drainage
- load from technology — cranes, tanks, racks
what we do
Like general contractor we provide earthworks, foundations and establishment of halls including geodetic marking — and then we install our own construction on the same foundations. This eliminates the interface where the most common problems arise.
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