Foundations affect how the main structure of a building behaves and can be a major factor in determining whether or not it performs satisfactorily in the long term. Decisions about foundations for low-rise buildings are often made by people who have only limited understanding of the engineering of the ground: this book has been written for such people and their professional advisors, including architects, surveyors, loss adjusters, planners, insurance underwriters and property developers. BRE has published guidance over a number of years on various aspects of foundations for low-rise...

This report is concerned with ground-related hazards for building developments on brownfield sites. Principal hazards are ground movement, vulnerability of construction materials to aggressive ground conditions, gas migration, and subterranean fires and the report outlines a systematic way to manage the range of risks over the lifetime of the building development and case histories are discussed. It emphasises that an unwarranted over-sensitivity to risk will defeat the objective of locating building developments on brownfield sites.

This guide assesses the seriousness of seismic risk and proposes criteria for earthquake safety evaluation of existing UK dams. It relates specifically to the safety of UK dams and reservoirs under seismic loading although it should also be useful in the design of new dams. The guide is relevant to all forms of dam construction.