July/August 2024 - 121

A regular column showcasing successful
best practices for sustainable foundations
FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Planning for Future Foundation Reuse
In March, the 2nd International
Conference on Foundation Decarbonization
and Re-use was held in
Amsterdam. During this conference,
hos ted by DFI Europe and the
Geotechnical Section of the Royal Dutch
Society of Engineers, the various aspects
of how an existing foundation can be
reused when an old superstructure is
replaced by a new one were covered in
great detail. Obviously, the approach of
reusing an existing foundation is more
sustainable than installing an entirely
new foundation, and this has also been
illustrated in previous editions of this
column. Different projects were
described where, after testing, it was
concluded that this approach was
feasible, leading to not only cost savings
and a shorter construction schedule, but
also to a reduction in the carbon
footprint of the new superstructure.
When discussing foundation reuse,
the aspect that remains largely
uncovered is what is required when
new foundations are installed to
simplify their reuse at some point in the
future. At various points in the past, it
was common that buildings would have
a lifetime measured in centuries (e.g.,
during the conference the attendees
visited Amsterdam's Old Church, which
was founded in the 13th century),
whereas the lifespan of buildings these
days is more often measured in decades.
And that means that our children or
grandchildren are likely to replace the
structures we have constructed and will
have to deal with these aspects associated
with foundation reuse. The
question is, therefore, what can we do
now with new foundations to simplify
the reuse option in the future?
The most obvious answer to that
Design calculations and drawings of the KIT, the conference venue
AUTHORS Gerald Verbeek, Allnamics USA
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * JULY/AUG 2024 * 121
question is to ensure that (the final version
of) design and construction records
are kept and that as-built documentation
is truly as-built. A good
example of that are the construction
records for the
building where the conference
was held. Design drawings,
design calculations and
even the pile driving records
are all available - and not just
for the opening presentation
of a conference on foundation
reuse - whenever these records are
required in the future.
While there are other things that can
be done as well (which will be covered in
a future edition of this column), I would
like to focus here on the first part of that
obvious answer, i.e., record keeping. But
where? When engineering firms change
ownership or go out of business, it is
likely that many records are destroyed.
When the original owner sells a building,
it is likely that design and construction
records are not transferred to the
new owner. And that means that when,
at some point in the future, the option of
foundation reuse is considered to
provide a sustainable approach for the
new superstructure, it is less likely that
foundation reuse is a realistic option.
Clearly, all of us in the foundation
industry can do our part to address this
issue of record keeping, making future
foundation reuse a more likely option.
July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2024
