Radfundament

Radfundament, commonly called a strip foundation in English, is a shallow, continuous footing that runs beneath load-bearing walls to distribute their loads along the length of the wall into the soil.

Typically formed as reinforced concrete laid in trenches, the footing has a cross-section wider than the wall it supports, and may be rectangular or trapezoidal. The width and depth depend on wall loads, wall span, soil bearing capacity, and frost depth; the footing is designed to rest on suitable bearing soil. Reinforcement is often placed along the length of the footing to improve stiffness and resistance to bending.

Construction involves marking the wall lines, excavating trenches to the required depth, preparing a compacted base (often gravel), placing reinforcement, installing formwork, pouring concrete, and curing. When the footing is complete, the wall can be built directly on or above it, and a floor slab may be integrated in the same structure.

Radfundament is common in residential and light commercial construction on sites with reasonably uniform soils. It is relatively cost-effective for long walls and provides good load distribution, but is less suitable for poor or highly variable soils or heavy, concentrated loads. Differential settlement can occur if soil conditions vary; frost protection requires adequate depth below the frost line.

Compared with point foundations (for columns) or slabs that bear on the entire area, strip foundations are one option within a spectrum of shallow-foundation systems. Proper design follows local code requirements and geotechnical data, and often includes damp-proofing and insulation considerations.