"We are looking at potential savings in foundation costs without compromising safety," notes the report accompanying the guidelines. "When you verify that a local practice is sound, you remove the 'fear factor' that leads engineers to over-size piles. You also reduce the likelihood of disputes during construction regarding whether a local method is 'up to code,' because the code now explicitly endorses the practice."
The GEO-SS guidelines and local practices for pile foundation design and construction have been verified through various means, including: "We are looking at potential savings in foundation
| Pile Type | Typical Working Load | Common Use | |-----------|----------------------|-------------| | Steel H-pile | 300 – 1000 kN | Medium loads, low headroom | | Spun concrete pile (precast) | 600 – 3000 kN | High loads, dense sand/old alluvium | | Bored pile (wet or dry) | 1000 – 6000 kN | Large diameters, variable ground | | Barrettes (diaphragm wall elements) | 4000 – 15000 kN | Very high loads, deep basement foundations | deep basement foundations |