Foundations affect how the main structure of a building behaves and can be a major factor in determining whether or not it performs satisfactorily in the long term. Decisions about foundations for low-rise buildings are often made by people who have only limited understanding of the engineering of the ground: this book has been written for such people and their professional advisors, including architects, surveyors, loss adjusters, planners, insurance underwriters and property developers. BRE has published guidance over a number of years on various aspects of foundations for low-rise buildings, and Geotechnics for building professionals brings together this guidance into a single unified format and approach. It gives an overview of ground behaviour and geotechnics, but focuses on shallow foundations for low-rise buildings. The first five chapters of the book cover regulations and legislation for foundations and contaminated land, types of ground, soil behaviour and ground assessment. Two chapters focus on foundation design and foundations on difficult ground. Brownfield land and ground treatment are then discussed, and the last three chapters deal with foundation movement and damage, remedial treatment and underpinning, and ancillary works (hardcore, soakaways, drains, small embankments, small retaining walls, freestanding walls).