ABSTRACT
All structures are supported by the ground beneath them thus the ground itself can be considered as one of the mate rials used in the construction process, although compared with other building materials like concrete or steel, the ground is usually much weaker and more deformable. This means that in most cases the ground cannot stand up to the same stress as the building upon it and so structures have to be built with foundations to support them and distribute the stress, transmitting these to the ground as appropriate, depending on how strong and elastic it is.
