Sample Approaches to Optimum Use of Marginal Lands

Land on which buildings may be supported is becoming scarce. To alleviate this shortage, existing methods must be improved and new methods must be devised to enable us to use marginal lands. Instead of developing a site to provide a stable, nonyielding ground surface for the support of foundations without appreciable settlement, both the site and the structure are designed to behave satisfactorily even though substantial future subsidence is expected to occur over a considerable period of years. Examples are given of: (1) buildings with foundations rigid enough to resist differential movements; (2) structures flexible enough to deform differentially without noticeable effects; (3) hinged or articulated structures consisting of modules hinged or separated to permit differential distortion between modules; and (4) structures subject to periodic releveling or other corrective measures.