Soil Shrinkage-Induced Failure of a Foundation

This paper describes an investigation into the causes of structural damage to a retirement home and the subsequent rehabilitation project. The investigation revealed that the damage was caused by shrinkage of the soils beneath the structure\u27s foundation as a result of dry weather, shrinkage-prone characteristics of the soils, deviation from the original design, and poor construction techniques. The structure was subsequently underpinned to rock using the inclined drilled pier method. Interaction between design and construction professionals is also presented