Construction a five stories building on Saturated Sand Soil

[MikeGeoUSA]

Dear Experts

Please advise if it is a must to construct five stories building on a Raft-on-piles foundation due to threat of the liquefaction knowing that the soil nature is saturated SAND and located nearby the sea?

Can we construct the same structure without piles?
Any reference project, please?

Thanks

 

[ATSE]

If you don't have piles, then you need a robust ground improvement program and a mat-foundation.
I'm making some assumptions now, but I'm pretty sure the building owner (Turkey, 1999) of the image below saved some money on liquefaction mitigation.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

...soil nature is saturated SAND and located nearby the sea.

Probably a site with a high water table. If so, high water table usually makes piles "cheap" compared to dewatering for a raft foundation or other below ground work.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

 

[BigH]

What is your "threat" of liquefaction? "Determined so? or "considered so"?

 

[fattdad]

are you above or below the critical void ratio?

f-d

ípapß gordo ainÆt no madre flaca!

 

[MikeGeoUSA]

Bigh, Considered

 

[GeoEnvGuy]

you have seen one example from ATSE above of a liquefaction failure below is an image of another potential consequence. The building on left has piles and the ground settled 40 cm, the building on the right settled an additional 30 cm into the ground.

 

[LittleInch]

Is it a "must?" only if you don't want the building to fall down or settle in the event of liquefaction.

As a "geotechnical" guy I'm amazed you're asking the question. This is rather basic stuff really.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[dik]

The tilted building looks like it was overdesigned...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[Ron]

We build on saturated sands routinely. If you don't have seismic considerations, liquefaction is not a big issue.
Whether you use piles, a raft (mat), or shallow foundations depends on loading and deeper subsurface conditions.