www.beautiful-basements.co.uk

Construction

Technology 3

Assignment 2: Basement Construction

Dr. Patrick Tang, School of Architecture and the Built Environment

Michael Dernee

C3089219

Abstract:

In the brief for the basement, there is the potential for rapid expansion. The Amazon highway is very close and

noise pollution could affect the building’s potential. Therefore the basement will be as low as possible allowing

noise pollution to travel over the proposed building. Techniques will ensure that the least amount of energy

will be needed to create the building and that the materials used will be long lasting to create not only an

environmentally sustainable building but a physically sustainable building that will stand for many years.

Appendix:

Title Page ........................................................................................................ i

Abstract ........................................................................................................ ii

Appendix ........................................................................................................ iii

Physical ........................................................................................................ 1

• Use ........................................................................................................ 1

• Location ........................................................................................................ 1

• Volume (horizontal) .......................................................................................... 1

• Clear site ........................................................................................................ 1

• Volume (vertical) .......................................................................................... 1

• Type of soil ........................................................................................................ 2

• Water table ........................................................................................................ 2

• Disposal ........................................................................................................ 2

Mechanical ...................................................................................................................... 3

• Fixed ........................................................................................................ 3

• Moving ........................................................................................................ 3

• Transport system .......................................................................................... 4

• Excavation lateral support system ........................................................................... 5

• Ground water control .......................................................................................... 6

• Foundation .......................................................................................... 7

� Shallow foundation ........................................................................... 7

� Deep footings ........................................................................... 7

• Basement construction method ........................................................................... 8

• Slab .......................................................................................... 8

• Waterproof membrane ............................................................................ 9

• Drainage .......................................................................................... 10

• Columns .......................................................................................... 11

• Suspended slab .......................................................................................... 12

Cost analysis ........................................................................................................ 13

Pictorial explanation .......................................................................................... 14

Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 17

Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 18

Physical:

• Use

� Basement allocation: the use of the basement will be for car parking, to help shoppers of the

centre above (assignment two) for maximum shoppers.

• Location

� Streetscape: the streetscape of the building will be on Davidson Road, Hill Street and Amazon

Highway, where the ground level will be two metres below Amazon Highway to remove some of

the sound of the highway, whilst still advertising that there are shops there.

� Entrance: the location of the entrance will be on Davidson Road (shown in site plan). The reason

for this is it is a more open location where an entrance would be.

� Exit: the location of the exit will be on Olive Street (shown in site plan). The reason for this is a

quiet street for easy exiting to the road.

� Basement location: the basement will take up the whole area to allow for the highest amount of

parking spaces; there will be a two metre inwards perimeter of the site, so that in construction

the pathway can still be used.

• Clear site

� Clearing vegetation: 9 trees, 3 trees under 500mm, 6 trees 500/1000mm.

� Removal of trees: cost estimates, 500mm less $162 each, 500-1000 $162 each. Therefore total

cost would accumulate to $1488.

• Volume (horizontal)

� Basement size: 2,900,000mm2

� Building floor area: 2,900,000mm2

• Volume (vertical)

� Depth: the depth of the basement will not go further than +56m from sea level (5 metres in

depth)

� Amount of excavation: 14,911m3

� Cost of excavation: the cost of excavation of soft rock is $65.40m3

• Type of soil

� Reactive ability: there will be a combination of Made Ground : Very stiff (compacted) ashy sandy

clay with brick and tile rubble and fine to coarse gravel, Medium dense becoming dense grey fine

to coarse angular to sub rounded flint gravel with cobbles, and a trace of sand.

� Compressive strength: the soils are closely dense, such that a foundation will need to be

reinforced but will only have to be a shallow one.

• Water table

� Height: The water table does not go higher than +45m from sea level (16m in depth) and

therefore there is no need to worry about the water level and the use of a water pump, yet still a

need for waterproofing.

• Disposal

� Type: as there is no known location of the site or local disposal areas, this cannot be answered,

but as shown in the mechanical disposal section (page) many different combinations can occur. It

can be used as infill for another site.

� Distance: it is unknown.

Mechanical:

• Fixed:

Name Picture Volume (V) Load (L) /

hour (H)

V x L / H Suited conditions Price

Shovel face

farm4.static.flickr.com

0.3 – 6m3 80 24 – 480m

3 Soil below or level and

forwards

N/A (was not in

the Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Backhoe

excavators101.com

0.1 – 1.8m3 40 4 - 72m

3 Soil above dug down and

backwards

N/A (was not in

the Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Clamshell,

grab

kensdiecastconstructionmodels.com

0.8 - 6m3 45 36 - 270m

3 Soil deep below (even

vertical) picked up

N/A (was not in

the Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Dragline

www.nkmz.com

0.3 - 3m3 55 16 - 165m

3 Coal Mines N/A (was not in

the Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Summary: For the site and its contours as the basement will be dug from the east to the west the best fixed

excavator would be the shovel face.

• Moving:

Picture Depth Distance Action Price

Bulldozer

classroomclipart.com

400mm 100m Moving top soil and spreading the

earth, flattening the land

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons Australian

construction handbook

2010)

Loader

coalcliff.com

1000mm 200m Shallow excavation, slope excavation,

loading material to transport system

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons Australian

construction handbook

2010)

Scrapers

fhwa.dot.gov

150 –

300mm

3000m Collecting material, hauling it and

discharging it, usually used in road

construction.

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons Australian

construction handbook

2010)

Summary: as the site is not very big the scraper is not useful, a combination of the loader and bulldozer would

be the best was to move the material and load it onto the transport system.

• Transport System:

Transport

Systems

Picture Distance Suited Conditions Price

Dump trucks

elph.com.au

0.8km – 10km Close proximity removal,

small to medium sized jobs

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Conveyor

motorsandbearingsconcept.com

1km – 5km Medium proximity

removal, large sized jobs

high longevity

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Rail

northernrockiesrisingtide.files.wordpress.com/

5km – 100km Far proximity removal,

huge sized jobs, higher

longevity

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Summary: as the location is unknown, there is no way to find out where the closest place is to relocate the soil,

but just from the site plan the location is built up so the use of a conveyor belt is not the way to go. A

combination of a dump truck and rail may need to be used if the relocating area is far away. But if close the

use of only a dump truck would be a better option.

• Excavation lateral support system:

Method Picture Description Advantage Disadvantage Suitability Price

Sheet pile:

permanent

geelongadvertiser.com.au

Interlocking prefabricated

steel piles that form a wall

that is continuous and

permanent

Light weight,

adaptable, high

resistance to

tensile stresses

Boulder

obstruction,

vibration,

noise

pollution,

water

seepage, cost,

professional

needed.

Harbour quays,

restriction of

water acting as a

cofferdam

$54,750

Sheet pile:

Temporary

Interlocking prefabricated

steel piles that form a

temporary wall

Can be reused,

adaptable

Temporary

restriction of

water (cofferdam)

to allow a

basement

construction,

piers and houses

that have a high

water table

$41,000

Soldier pile

merelaconsultants.com

Vertical steel H sections

with horizontal timber

lagging that sit in-between

or behind

Low cost, fast

and easy to

construct

Susceptible to

the

movement of

ground.

Most suitable

when the wall is

above the water

table, with free

draining soils.

N/A (was not

in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook

2010)

Bored pile:

continuous

sbe.napier.ac.uk

Soldier piles that are

repeated to create a wall

Stiff walls, good

in confined site

space, minimal

vibration, low

noise, flexible

plan, avoids

excessive

excavation, can

be used as

footings

Slow, vertical

joinery is

difficult, low

reinforcement

Soldier piles are

used mainly as

they are cheap

and don’t disturb

the surroundings

as much as other

walls

$8,200

Bored pile:

tangent

Continuous bore piles that

meet at their tangential

axis

$14,300

Bored Pile:

interlocking

Continuous bore piles that

have in their gap

secondary piles that are

unreinforced weak

concrete mix

$21,000

Bored pile:

secant

Continuous bore piles

where the primary piles

are the unreinforced piles

and the secondary piles

are reinforced

$23,700

Diaphragm

itm-ltd.com

A trench that is filled with

slurry to prevent a

collapse when reaching its

depth reinforcement is

lowered and the concrete

displaces the slurry

Impermeable,

can be used as

the facade,

flexible, little

noise, deep

work, lack of

joints, can be

used as footings

Expensive,

large area

needed

Good for water

tight needing

areas, top down

construction,

used in very

unstable soils

$69,000

Soil Nailing

coastalcaisson.com

Inserting near horizontal

steel bars into ground and

grouting over to stabilise

the soil

Cheap, light

machinery, little

noise, less rigid

layout needed

Soil loss, only

for shallow

depths

Stabilize slopes or

excavations.

N/A (was not

in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook

2010)

Summary of Excavation lateral support systems:

Sheet pile:

permanent

Sheet pile:

temporary

Soldier

pile

Bored pile:

contiguous

Bored pile:

tangent

Bored Pile:

interlocking

Bored pile:

secant

Diaphragm Soil

Nailing

Permanent

structural

concrete wall

formed in one

operation ahead

of excavation

x x x x x x

Substantially

watertight wall

preventing draw

down to

groundwater

x x

Ability to deal

with obstructions

economically

x x x x x x

Vertically better

than 1:200 with

little overbreak

x x x x x x x x

Lack of

vibration/noise

x

Temporary gaps

left in wall to

allow service

diversions

x x

Vertical loads can

be permanently

carried

x x x x x

Summary: Due to the soil, the usefulness of how close it can get to the boundary and the use of it as a wall

after excavation the diaphragm wall will be used. The diaphragm wall is also long lasting and therefore

sustainable compared to the other methods that have to be replaced and fixed

• Ground Water Control: As the basement will not go deeper than 12.3 m there is no need to use any

water pump during excavation.

Summary: There is no need for ground water control during the excavation due to the depth of the building

not exceeding the water table.

• Foundation Construction method:

� Shallow foundation

Method Picture Description Advantage Disadvantage Application price

Pad

2.bp.blogspot.com

A footing remote to broaden

a load.

Cheap, easy,

simple, little

materials used

Not good in

weak soils. Or

reactive soils

Hard soils, inert

soils

N/A (was not in

the Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Strip

lh5.ggpht.com

A footing that goes around

the perimeter of the ground

in a longitudinal direction

where the load is.

Strongest

shallow

foundation, can

be changed for

the different

soils

Not good on

highly reactive

soils, more

complicated

than the pad

footing

Medium soils to

hard soils (un

reinforced)

248 cum

(reinforced)

251cum

Raft

moladi.com

A single slab is poured with

the reinforcement and

footings all ready.

Lightweight,

both slab and

foundation

created at once

making it very

strong

Complicated

compared to the

pad footing, a

lot of time in

preparation has

to take place

Medium to

hard soils 240 cum

Summary: Strip footings will be used as they are the strongest shallow footings, with the depth of the footings

calculated by the engineer. As they are the strongest they will not need to be fixed or replaced and because of

that it is quite sustainable. They will also be reinforced.

� Deep footings

Method Picture Description Advantage Disadvantage Application

Piled (bedrock)

www.pile-

driving.com

The pile reaches

solid bedrock and

can put all the

weight on the

bedrock.

Most solid

foundation possible

Sometimes may

need to go very

deep to uncover

bedrock

Soft, reactive clays

and soils

Piled (Friction)

bored-

piles.com

The pile does not

reach any ground

and has to use the

friction around to

allow the building to

stand.

Strongest

foundation in

locations without

bedrock

Complicated, many

calculations need to

be done and a lot of

testing on the soil

needed to ensure

the footings will

hold

Soft, reactive clays

and soils with no

bedrock

Caissons

kshitija.files.wordpress.com

Hollowed hole

where concrete can

be poured into

More quiet than the

other two deep

footings.

Time taken to make Soft, reactive clays

and soils, where

heavy machinery

cannot be used

Summary: There is no need for deep footing as the soil below is quite stable.

• Basement construction method:

Method Open-cut Vertical cut Top-down

Picture

brhgarver.com

simplex-foundations.co.uk

personal.cityu.edu.hk/~bswmwong/pl.html

Size of site Very large open site Small sized open site Large sized site

Site environment Unobstructed Adaptable to most environments Adaptable to most complex

environments

Protection Simplest protection Complex lateral support

required

Limited shoring support where

required

Special provision Not much Not much Temporary vertical

Soil removal Using ramp Staged platform or ramp Vertical shaft bucket or bucket

Summary: Due to the use of the diaphragm wall, there are two choices, the vertical cut or the top down. The

vertical cut is more suited for the site and will therefore be used as it is not a big site.

• Slab

Type Picture Description Strength Price

Concrete (in situ)

undergroundconstruction.ie

150mm thick, poured

concrete into a mould

The strength can change

with the additives used

and the reinforcement

used. For such a site no

real additives need to be

used as there are no

large stresses upon the

slab. But normal

additives like super

plasticizers to allow for

higher workability

concrete and pozzolans

that increase the

strength of the concrete

will be used to help with

strength and curing time

161.00 sqm

Precast Concrete

www.megaprefab.com

150mm thick, concrete

that is set off site and

relocated to site.

100-120 sqm

Summary: Both ways of creating a slab are strong, but because there are retaining walls that the slab has to fit

into, in situ concrete will be used as it can chemically bond to the diaphragm wall making everything

increasingly stronger.

• Waterproofing

Type Picture Description Advantage Disadvantage Price

Liquid membrane

img.alibaba.com

A polymer liquid

that is painted on to

form an

impermeable barrier

Good for complex

structures

Cannot be used

under the slab

38m2

Bituminous paint

www.larsenbuildingproducts.com

A liquid that is

painted on to form

an impermeable

barrier

Good for complex

structures

Cannot be used

under the slab

12.4m2

Styrofoam

www.tru-guardwaterproofing.com

A solid polymer that

is solid and rigid that

forms an

impermeable barrier

Can be used under

the slab

Not as useful as the

other waterproof

membranes in

complex situations

22.4m2

Polymer membrane

imghost1.indiamart.com

A polymer that is

solid but not rigid

that forms an

impermeable barrier

Can be used for

complex structures.

Can be used under

the slab.

Time taken to set up

can take some time.

28.2m2

Summary: As the slab is in situ the use of a polymer membrane or a Styrofoam membrane is the most useful as

it can cover under the concrete. The polymer membrane will be used as it is better in difficult situations. It also

doesn’t have to be replaced unlike the bituminous paint so it will last a long time making it more sustainable.

• Drainage

Type Picture Description Advantage Disadvantage Price

Tanking

www.gundle.co.za

Creating an

impermeable

barrier that doesn’t

allow water in but if

water does come in

it gets pumped out

Water table can be

above the

basement floor

Needs a pump,

makes noise

12-38m2

Cavity drainage

oxfordbasements.co.uk

Drainage that

allows a gap in the

membrane to a

drainage channel.

Un noticeable gaps Water table has to

be below basement

Has to have a

flooring unit above

the concrete, where

the car park won’t

need it

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Exterior foundation

drain

www.wvdhsem.gov

Drainage that uses

an exterior system

to drain away

Most effective way

of draining, that is

quick

Water table has to

be below basement

N/A (was not in the

Rawlinsons

Australian

construction

handbook 2010)

Summary: The use of the exterior foundation drain will be installed as the water table is 11m lower than the

lowest point of the basement. The exterior foundation drain is also the quickest diffuse way of relocating

water.

• Columns

Type Picture Description Strength Price

Reinforced Concrete

(in situ)

www.betoonelement.ee

200mm in diameter, with rebar

reinforcement.

Very strong 201.00 sqm

Reinforced Precast

Concrete

www.emarateurope.ae

300X300 cast off site and

delivered ready to lock into

place

Very strong 490.00 sqm

Steel

www.brisbanehouseraising.com.au

150X150 cast offsite,

lightweight yet has no great

compressive strength

Medium 247.00 sqm

Timber

thepostandbeam.files.wordpress.com

Oregon wood 100X100. Not

long lasting compared to the

concrete

Weak 35.80 sqm

Brickwork

img.archiexpo.com

350X230 although a strong

column it takes a long time to

make.

Strong 57.70 sqm

Summary: Concrete will be used as columns in this building being long lasting, as the timber and steel do

corrode over time and the brickwork takes too long to make. The reason for in situ concrete is it can

chemically join to the base plate making it a stronger bond

• Suspended slab

Type Picture Description Strength Price

Concrete (in situ)

undergroundconstruction.ie

150mm thick, poured

concrete into a mould

The strength can change

with the additives used

and the reinforcement

used. For such a site no

real additives need to be

used as there are no

large stresses upon the

slab. But normal

additives like super

plasticizers to allow for

higher workability

concrete and pozzolans

that increase the

strength of the concrete

will be used to help with

strength and curing time.

161.00 sqm

Precast Concrete

www.megaprefab.com

150mm thick, concrete

that is set off site and

relocated to site.

100-120 sqm

Summary: Precast concrete will be used as it will be easier to install and it is a lot easier for the precast

concrete to be designed to create a waffle design making the slab lighter.

Cost Analysis:

Area of cost Product Unit Price per

unit

Amount of

products

Price Cumulative

price

Earth moving:

clearing the

site

Tree >500mm Per tree $162 3 $496 $496

Tree

1000>500mm

Per tree $162 6 $992 $1488

Retaining wall Diaphragm wall Per m2

$420 165.1m2

$69000 $70488

Soil

excavation

Excavation of soil

for basement

Per m2

$65.4 14,911m3

$975,179 $1,045,667

Footing Strip footings Per m2

$248 570m2

$141,360 $1,187,027

Waterproofing Polymer

membrane

Per m2

$28.2 2,900 m2

$81,780 $1,268,807

Drainage Exterior

Foundation Drain

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Slab In situ Reinforced

concrete

Per m2

$161 2,900m2

$466,900 $1,735,707

Columns Reinforced in situ

concrete

Per m2

$201 2,900m2

$609,000 $2,344,707

Suspended

Slab

Precast

reinforced waffle

designed slab

Per m2

$120 2,900m2

$348,000 $2,692,707

Pictorial Explanation:

Process Description Perspective Plan

1. Analysis Entrance, exit, site

size, orientation

2. Retaining

wall

Install guide wall,

excavate trench,

install rebar,

check verticality,

pour concrete

3. Excavation Vertically cutting

the soil to open

up the site

4. Set up Set up and install

footings, install

waterproof

membrane,

drainage installed

and rebar

5. Ground Slab Pouring the slab

onto set up

6. Columns Set up and

pouring columns

into place

7. Suspended

Slab

Crane suspended

precast slabs onto

the allocated

points.

Conclusion:

A diaphragm wall will be set up and the site will be open cut by shovel faces and backhoes then bulldozers will

flatten it out. It is still unknown how or where the soil will be transported but will most likely be done by a

dump truck. There is no need for ground water control due to the low water table and the footings will be strip

due to their strength and ability to work around the site. The slab will be in situ concrete with additives like

pozzolans and super plasticizers to increase strength and for higher workability. To waterproof the basement a

polymer membrane will be below the slab, with the retaining wall also being impermeable. Yet if any water

does come in exterior fountain drains will allow the water to go into the ground as the water table is quite low.

In situ concrete columns will hold up the precast concrete slabs that are suspended and will be the base of the

ground floor that is two metres below the highway to diffuse the sound.

Bibliography:

Book:

• Rawlinson's Australian construction handbook, Perth, W.A. 2010: House Publishing

• Frederick S. Merritt, Jonathan T. Ricketts Building design and construction handbook, USA, 1994:

McGraw-Hill Professional Publi

• R.A. Johnson Water-resisting basement construction - A Guide: Safeguarding New And Existing

Basements Against Water And Dampness , Great Brittan, 1995: Construction Industry Research and

Information Association

• Barry, R. (2001) The Construction of Buildings (Vol 4), 5th Edition, Blackwell Scientific Publications.

Internet:

• http://www.basementconstruction.com.au/Retention%20Systems.html

• http://www.dincelconstructionsystem.com/documents/BasementConstruction.pdf

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement

Lectures:

• Dr. Patrick Tang Lecture 1: Introduction to the course 9/3/10

• Dr. Patrick Tang Lecture 2: Basement Construction 16/3/10

• Dr. Patrick Tang Lecture 3: Foundation Construction 23/3/10

• Dr. Patrick Tang Lecture 4: Specification and Cost Estimation 30/3/10

• Dr. Patrick Tang Lecture 5: Concrete Technology 1 6/4/10