Effectiveness of design decisions should be thoroughly and objectively assessed: Fid-Bau Portal

Effectiveness of design decisions should be thoroughly and objectively assessed

Fedorov, B. S. / Trofimenkov, Yu. G.

Conclusions The article by R. Kh. Valeev and V. F. Bogdanov contains several assumptions which incorrectly describe the development of piled-foundation engineering in mass-scale construction of residential buildings.The authors of the article assert, without proper grounds, that \s`... unproductive expenditure associated with the construction of piled foundations, amounts to 40 million rubles a year,\s` and do not mention the economy which piled foundations give annually.The annual savings effected by the introduction of piled foundations in residential building construction alone, on the basis of the most conservative calculations amounts to over 100 million rubles, and further improvements to their design will enable this figure to be increased by at least another 30%.In the solution of engineering-economic problems which determine the trends in present-day foundation engineering, an objective approach is necessary, one which must account fully for both the engineering and economic aspects of the problem.In using various recommendations concerning the field of application of one or another type of foundation construction, specialists should strictly follow the provisions of "Construction Standards and Regulations" (SNiP) II-15-74, which clearly state that the foundations of buildings and structures should in each instance be designed on the basis of engineering-economic comparisons of possible alternative design solutions, bearing in mind the necessity to adopt the optimum solution, one which will ensure the fullest utilization of the strength and deformation characteristics of the soils and the physicomechanical properties of the foundation materials, with an evaluation of the solutions according to the quoted cost figures.In the 10th Five-Year Plan, in order to guarantee execution of the grand construction program for residential buildings, it is necessary to conduct extensive work aimed at further improvements in the construction of both piled and strip foundations, by a fuller utilization of the strength of the foundation and their bases, and raising the industrial capacity and technological expertise in foundation construction.In carrying out this work, it is essential to be guided by "Basic Trends in the Development of the National Economy of the USSR, 1976–80," where it is stated: "Raise the level of industrialization of construction and the rate of factory output of structural components and items."This requirement for industrialization in the construction field applies in equal measure to the above-ground and subsurface parts of buildings.