| General |
Case
Studies
|
Across
the Northern Periphery of Europe the use of foundations, and in this case
of roundpole foundations is split between those areas where permafrost
exists, and where it doesn’t. This may help to explain the presence of
the rock counterweight solution which, viewed from a British perspective
seems peculiarly amateur, but in areas where it is hardly possible to
penetrate the ground either because it is permanently frozen, or because
there is no soil, only rock, then the solution becomes one of the only
possible solutions.
Another parameter that needs to be addressed is that the design lifespan
of the structure will have a significant impact on the technique chosen.
It is worth noting in respect of foundation design that the use of poles
in submerged conditions has been commonly used to prolong the life of
timber foundations indefinitely.
|
Embedding
(source: Buro Happold)
Poles buried directly into the ground will have a relatively short
life which can be improved by treatment, gravel or concrete surround
although any solution will only be temporary. |
 |
Ground
Screw
(source: Buro Happold)
Ground screws can be used
as foundations having resistance to both upward and downward loads and
provide a less intrusive alternative to piles, trenches and the like. |
 |
Spiked
Cup
(source: Buro Happold)
A spiked cup or other
intermediary such as a steel plate in concrete can prevent the timber
getting, and staying wet and so considerably prolong the life of the
structure. |
 |
Rock
counterweight
(source: Buro Happold)
An extremely simple, ‘low
tech’ and temporary solution where stability and resistance to
overturning and uplift is supplied by mass such as rocks. |
 |
Submerged
Piles
(source: Goy)
Extracted from a book on
Roman foundation techniques, this demonstrates the use of roundpole in
permanently submerged conditions which in fact prolong the life of the
timber indefinitely. |
 |
