Foundations: a piece of history

A foundation is the base on which every structure rests and which transfers loads to the load-bearing ground. The techniques for building foundations have evolved over the centuries along with the available materials and knowledge.

From pile dwelling to driven pile

The history of foundations begins as far back as prehistory. People built pile dwellings on wooden posts above marshes and along shorelines, to stay dry and protect themselves. This was the earliest form of a pile foundation.

The Romans refined foundation building considerably. On firm ground they laid wide shallow foundations, distributing the load over layers of gravel, stone and compacted clay. On softer soil they drove wooden piles.

In the Middle Ages, wooden pile foundations became indispensable in water-rich cities. Amsterdam and Venice literally rest on millions of wooden piles, driven deep below the groundwater level. Because they remain permanently submerged, these piles last for centuries.

Application

With the arrival of steel, cement and reinforced concrete in the 19th and 20th centuries, foundation building changed dramatically. Wooden piles gave way to concrete driven piles, which are stronger, more durable and not vulnerable to pile rot. Today builders also use bored piles and screw piles, which can be installed with low vibration and without noise nuisance, a major advantage in densely built-up areas. Foundations remain necessary because natural soil is often too soft or uneven to support a building without settlement.

Related terms

• Foundation
• Driven pile
• Pile foundation
• Shallow foundation

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