Caribbean Disaster
Mitigation Project
Implemented by the Organization of American States
Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment
for the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and the Caribbean Regional Program
FOUNDATIONS
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Foundation
The functions of the foundations are:
1. To securely anchor the house to the ground to prevent wind forces from lifting the entire building or blowing it over.
2. To transmit the building loads to the ground. Foundations should be securely connected to the rest of the structure and located not less than 2 feet into the ground on firm strata.
The foundation for the blockwall construction is usually a continuous rectangular reinforced concrete strip footing.
The blockwalls which are then built off this footing contain vertical reinforcement which is anchored into the footing.