As critical as an accurate foundation system design is how those design results are communicated. It serves no purpose for everything to be correctly modeled and calculated if the information is misunderstood on-site and ends up being executed incorrectly. There is a series of technical documents that must be delivered upon completion of any structural design project, both to support the calculations performed and to communicate construction instructions.
Which documents are delivered with a foundation system design?
Any project requires a vast amount of documentation to comply with all regulations. Regardless of location, documentation regarding environmental impact, traffic, evacuation routes, sewage, water, and electrical networks, among many others, will always be required. None of these documents concern the structural engineer; however, the documents associated with the structural design are their full responsibility. Specifically, for the structural design of a shallow foundation system, the following must be delivered:
1. Calculation Report
This is the document that supports every decision made. It is not just a collection of numbers; it is the technical narrative of the project. It must include:
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Design Criteria: Applied standards (such as ACI 318 or NCh430), concrete properties, and steel grades.
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Geotechnical Parameters: Allowable bearing pressures, subgrade reaction coefficients (ballast coefficients), and expected settlements based on the soil report.
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Load Combinations: Details of applied dead, live, seismic, and wind loads, as well as the combinations used at each design stage. For example, ASD service combinations for sizing, but LRFD ultimate combinations for steel reinforcement.
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Analysis Results: Verification of bearing pressures, overturning stability, and serviceability limit states for all elements within the foundation system (e.g., pedestals, caps, beams, footings, piles).
2. Layout and General Arrangement Drawings
This is the "roadmap" for the surveyor and the excavation team. These drawings must clearly display:
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The exact location of each footing or slab relative to the project axes.
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Geometric dimensions (width, length, and thickness).
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The foundation level or "bearing level," indicating the depth relative to the natural ground level.
3. Detail and Reinforcement Drawings
This is where most interpretation errors occur if not handled with precision. They must include:
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Elevations and Sections: Details of how steel bars, seismic hooks, and splices are arranged.
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Foundation and Tie Beams: Monolithic connections between elements to ensure the collective behavior of the system.
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Reinforcement Schedules: Tables summarizing diameters, spacing, and quantities.
4. Technical Specifications
Often underestimated, the "Tech Specs" are the quality instruction manual. They define the "how":
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Concrete curing procedures.
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Founding level treatment (cleaning and inspection/approval by a geotechnician).
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Permitted construction tolerances.
5. Bill of Quantities
For the client and the contractor, this document defines the budget. Automation is vital here, as it allows for the delivery of exact values for:
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Concrete Volume (): Broken down by element type.
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Steel Weight (kg or tons): Classified by bar diameter to facilitate purchasing logistics.
The Importance of Standardization
In the era of BIM (Building Information Modeling), these documents no longer exist in isolation. Tools like Foundaxis ensure that the calculation report, DXF drawings, and the IFC exchange file are consistent with one each other. If you change a footing's thickness in the model, the quantity takeoff and the detail drawing should update automatically. This traceability is what eliminates the risk of the construction site receiving contradictory information.
Discover how the automatic generation of foundation design deliverables is integrated into the complete Foundaxis workflow:
Foundation Design Software: A Complete Guide for Structural Engineers 2026