Integrated Strip Foundation Systems for Small Residential Buildings

Abstract

A prefabricated lightweight element was designed for a strip foundation that was used on site as the bases of two small residential buildings, in this case single-family houses; one was built with a double-brick exterior wall separated by mineral fiber insulation and the other was built with a wood-stud exterior wall with mineral fiber insulation. The element was placed on a stable surface underneath the top soil layer, just 0.25 m below the finished ground surface. The prefabricated element was designed to comply with the requirements of a high energy-efficient performance stipulated in the new Danish Building Regulations. The base of the two individual buildings was cast in one working operation and completed within two working days. Produced and shaped as one coherent element of expanded polystyrene, the element was designed to be handled on site by one man. Non-freezing ground was established by using outer insulation located at the outer plinth. Temperatures were measured at measurement points at the outer plinth and onwards from these points beneath the building. In addition the soil temperature, the temperature within the concrete floor slab and outdoor as well as indoor temperatures were measured.