Sinkholes

June 9th, 2010 Design Matt Falco

Sinkhole: A natural depression in a land surface communicating with a subterranean passage, generally occurring in limestone regions and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof, as defined by answers.com

Pretty scary. Look at this post’s photo taken in Guatemala after some heavy rains about a week ago.

The purpose of this post is to callout another element to your project, Soil.

Sinkholes occur because soil move around. Soil is settling, shifting, decaying and moves depending on what’s acting on it. This soil migration and more importantly, it’s composition, need to be studied at a project’s specific location. Soil characteristics can vary widely within a short distance, even on the same project site! When a building addition is planned and the footprint is established, the Owner needs to hire a Geotechnical Engineer (Soil Engineer) to investigate what is happening underground. They do this by taking sample test soil borings in certain locations and to established depths recommended by the Soil Engineer. Their findings may uncover the composition, strength, moisture content and other particulars for the soil. This information is provided with some general recommendations for the foundation design. The structural engineer and architect take that information and use it to properly design the building to withstand the soil conditions.

Soil boring tests should not be limited to big commercial buildings. Residential projects can benefit from these tests as well. House additions can benefit from a soils’ report,too.

It’s important to have the soil report completed early on a project. It may identify costly problems before construction begins.