Editing Foundation (engineering) (section)

==Modern types==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2024}}

===Shallow foundations===
{{Main|Shallow foundation}}
[[File:Construcción de una cimentación por zapata aislada.ogv|thumb|Shallow foundation construction example]]
Often called ''footings'', are usually embedded about a meter or so into [[soil]]. One common type is the spread footing which consists of strips or pads of concrete (or other materials) which extend below the [[frost line]] and transfer the weight from walls and columns to the soil or [[bedrock]].

Another common type of shallow foundation is the slab-on-grade foundation where the weight of the structure is transferred to the soil through a [[concrete]] slab placed at the surface. Slab-on-grade foundations can be reinforced mat slabs, which range from 25&nbsp;cm to several meters thick, depending on the size of the building, or post-tensioned slabs, which are typically at least 20&nbsp;cm for houses, and thicker for heavier structures.

Another way to install ready-to-build foundations that is more environmentally friendly is to use [[screw piles]]. Screw pile installations have also extended to residential applications, with many homeowners choosing a screw pile foundation over other options. Some common applications for helical pile foundations include wooden decks, fences, garden houses, pergolas, and carports.

===Deep foundations===
{{Main|Deep foundation}}	 
Used to transfer the load of a structure down through the upper weak layer of [[topsoil]] to the stronger layer of [[subsoil]] below. There are different types of deep footings including impact driven piles, drilled shafts, [[Caisson (engineering)|caissons]], [[screw piles]], geo-piers{{clarify|these are nowhere described or sourced|date=September 2020}} and earth-stabilized columns{{clarify|these are nowhere described or sourced|date=September 2020}}. The naming conventions for different types of footings vary between different engineers. Historically, piles were [[wood]], later [[steel]], [[reinforced concrete]], and [[prestressed concrete|pre-tensioned concrete]].

====Monopile foundation====
{{Main|Monopile foundation}}
A type of [[deep foundation]] which uses a single, generally large-diameter, structural element embedded into the earth to support all the loads (weight, wind, etc.) of a large above-surface structure.

Many monopile foundations<ref name=own20090909>[http://offshorewind.net/Other_Pages/Turbine-Foundations.html Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228021556/http://offshorewind.net/Other_Pages/Turbine-Foundations.html |date=2010-02-28 }}, 2009-09-09, accessed 2010-04-12.</ref> have been used in recent years for economically constructing [[Windfarm#Fixed-bottom.2C foundation-based tower technologies|fixed-bottom]] [[List of offshore wind farms|offshore wind farm]]s in shallow-water [[subsea]] locations.<ref name=hre>
[http://www.hornsrev.dk/Engelsk/Opstillingen/uk-fundament.htm Constructing a turbine foundation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521095525/http://www.hornsrev.dk/Engelsk/Opstillingen/uk-fundament.htm |date=2011-05-21 }} Horns Rev project, Elsam monopile foundation construction process, accessed 2010-04-12</ref>  
For example, a single [[wind farm]] [[Lynn and Inner Dowsing Wind Farm#Construction|off the coast of England]] went online in 2008 with over 100 turbines, each mounted on a 4.74-meter-diameter monopile footing in ocean depths up to 16 meters of water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mth.com/Projects/Offshore/LynnInnerDowsing.aspx|title=Lynn & Inner Dowsing Offshore Wind Farms|publisher=MT Højgaard|access-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220065901/http://mth.com/Projects/Offshore/LynnInnerDowsing.aspx|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Floating\barge===
A floating foundation is one that sits on a body of water, rather than dry land. This type of foundation is used for some [[bridge]]s and floating buildings.