ABSTRACT
Building loads are normally provided to the foundation designer by the structural designer and include the major load combinations relevant to foundation design and building performance. These can be classified according to their source or loading characteristics with direction, and the usual sources of loading that may need to be considered for foundation design include the following: dead loads, live loads, wind loads, earthquake loads, loads arising from earth pressures, loads arising from ground movements, and loads from other sources, such as snow and ice. Adoption and application of load factors will be dependent on the design method adopted, and needs to be consistent with the basis of both the structural and geotechnical design. Wind loading is usually the critical source of lateral and moment loading on tall buildings. For most contemporary major tall buildings, the final design values of wind pressures and actions are obtained via the use of wind tunnel testing, rather than by conventional methods of calculation.
