Reuse of Foundations

Assessing existing foundations is essential when considering the reuse of existing foundations as part of new construction. Based on the outcome of the foundation assessment, a decision can be made not only whether or not to reuse the existing foundation, but also whether additional foundation elements are required. Allnamics has extensive experience with the examination and assessment of foundations, having performed more than 1000 of them. In the process, Allnamics has helped numerous owners with a more sustainable and cheaper foundation design.

Foundation Research info existing foundations

Determining the quality of the foundation usually starts with a preliminary investigation consisting of a desk study, a visual inspection of the structure supported by the foundation and assessment of the unevenness in floor levels. If necessary, a part of the foundation is excavated in the second phase of the investigation. The current state of the foundation is then recorded, after which an extensive analysis of the measurement results follows.

Foundation Decarbonization

Every foundation requires resources like concrete and steel. The environmental impact is the use and exploration of raw materials, aggregates, cement, and steel, and the emissions that come with producing, transporting, and installing those materials. Reducing the effects of installing foundations on the environment starts with reducing and reusing foundations.

The amount of materials can be reduced by reducing the number of deep foundations, the pile lengths and pile diameters. By building more efficiently, the amount of material can be reduced. The use of pile testing techniques as part of the design process will help to optimize foundations. To build smarter. To minimize the number and dimensions of foundations, within the safe limits of codes and common practice.

Examples

See a few examples of the involvement of Allnamics in re-use and extended use of existing foundations:

• The conversion of an old school building in Breda, see <here>.
• Sustainability makes sense, see <here>
• Building Green is saving Green, see <here>

Reuse of Foundations Conference

Reuse of Foundations

Since March 2023 there is the annual 3-day event on the Reuse of Foundations in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In this city the use of foundation piles is nothing new and given the age of many structures the issue the foundation reuse is recurring topic time and time again. This can be because the loads have increased since the structure was first designed, as is the case with the bridges in Amsterdam, or because a new building is constructed to replace a structure that no longer meets the current requirements. But whatever the reason, the question of what to do with the existing foundation has to be addressed.

Allnamics’ Gerald Verbeek is chair of this annual conference.

See the website of the conference: foundationreuse.com