Famous architect/builder Frank Lloyd Wright
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Steel reinforced concrete foundation
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foundations
All structures rest on the ground, and so must have a good base to rest on. Depending on the materials used and thus, the weight involved, as well as soil conditions, drainage concerns, frost heave, must be taken into consideration when planning a building.
The majority of constructions use steel reinforced concrete foundations. The theory here is to support the weight of the building, as well as make a very strong base to resist potential seismic movements of the earth and thermal contractions and expansions.
Living around trains for many years, as I have, gives one a chance to see how loose gravel can handle the endless movement of tons of steel and cargo without end, an incredibly heavy live load, pressing down and letting up, in cycles repeated in a matter of a second.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, the famous architect, was a user and proponent of gravel-trench foundations. He built a number of buildings using them. The gravel provides a disconnect between earth and house in times of earthquakes, allowing lateral shaking to not conduct upwards from the ground when it occurs.
This is a fundamentally different approach to supporting a structure as compared to the rigidness of concrete and steel, flexing and yielding to mother earth's tremors but allowing the house to go unaffected.
The relatively light dead load of a structure on top of gravel compared to the non-stop live load pounding of carloads of coal and other heavy freight is next to nothing. Gravel is very accommodating and this type of foundation can save much cement and steel, a plus for the planet.
Rammed earth tires make for an excellent foundation to put your walls on. Their weight and large amount of surface contact area make them very stationary once placed on the ground. A county building code in Colorado requires tire foundations to go 12" into the ground.
That may be necessary in some situations, but I've never seen any sign of movement of tires once packed and placed in walls & retaining large quantities of soil. We've always just placed tires on top of the ground and gone up with the wall. That seems to be all that's required.
The majority of constructions use steel reinforced concrete foundations. The theory here is to support the weight of the building, as well as make a very strong base to resist potential seismic movements of the earth and thermal contractions and expansions.
Living around trains for many years, as I have, gives one a chance to see how loose gravel can handle the endless movement of tons of steel and cargo without end, an incredibly heavy live load, pressing down and letting up, in cycles repeated in a matter of a second.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, the famous architect, was a user and proponent of gravel-trench foundations. He built a number of buildings using them. The gravel provides a disconnect between earth and house in times of earthquakes, allowing lateral shaking to not conduct upwards from the ground when it occurs.
This is a fundamentally different approach to supporting a structure as compared to the rigidness of concrete and steel, flexing and yielding to mother earth's tremors but allowing the house to go unaffected.
The relatively light dead load of a structure on top of gravel compared to the non-stop live load pounding of carloads of coal and other heavy freight is next to nothing. Gravel is very accommodating and this type of foundation can save much cement and steel, a plus for the planet.
Rammed earth tires make for an excellent foundation to put your walls on. Their weight and large amount of surface contact area make them very stationary once placed on the ground. A county building code in Colorado requires tire foundations to go 12" into the ground.
That may be necessary in some situations, but I've never seen any sign of movement of tires once packed and placed in walls & retaining large quantities of soil. We've always just placed tires on top of the ground and gone up with the wall. That seems to be all that's required.
