Design and Construction of Shallow Foundations for Low-Rise Residential Buildings in Nigeria

Abstract

Most residential buildings in Nigeria, especially the low-rise types are founded on shallow (slab) foundations, with the most widely used of them as strip and pad. This is perhaps because of the prevalent types of residential buildings (bungalows) and the soil conditions i.e. stable tropical residual soils. Traditional foundation design practice in Nigeria relies largely, on the British Code of Practice for Foundations BS 8004 of 1986 [1] (now Eurocode 7), and a little of empirical rules formulated from local experience with foundations in tropical region. A thorough understanding of the geology and soil conditions of an area, in which foundation is to be sited, is a pre-requisite to the success of a foundation project.