Foundation Loads & History
Foundation Types & Environment Impact
Foundation Calculations
Walls (Characteristics & Materials)
The Bricklayer’s Words
100

The primary purpose of a foundation in any building.

What is spreading the building’s weight and preventing sinking?  

100

The type of foundation used specifically to support individual columns.

What is a pad foundation?

100

The value you divide the building load by to determine the width of a strip foundation.

What is soil bearing capacity?

100

The type of wall designed to support the weight of roofs and floors above it.

What is a load-bearing wall?

100

The sharp, outer edge of a brick.

What is an arris?

200

The load that includes the weight of the people and furniture currently in a building.

What is live load?

200

The foundation used when a building site is on a slope with uneven ground.

What is a stepped strip foundation?

200

The minimum depth, in millimeters, that a foundation must have regardless of calculations.

What is 150 millimeters?

200

The characteristic of internal walls that helps control noise between rooms.

What is sound insulation?

200

The term that refers to the external corner or angle of a wall.

What is a quoin?

300

The three ancient civilizations that used local resources like stone and wood for foundations.

Who are the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans?

300

The foundation type that covers the entire area under a building to handle weak soil.

What is a raft foundation?


300

The formula used to determine the area of a pad foundation.

What is Area = Load ÷ Bearing Capacity?

300

Three common materials used for constructing external walls.

What are natural stone, bricks, and cement-based blocks?


300

The mortar joint that is slanted to help rainwater run off the wall.

What is a weather-struck joint?

400

The type of load especially significant when designing very tall buildings.

What is wind load?

400

The two foundation types recommended in areas with high seismic activity.

What are piled foundations or raft foundations?

400

The term used to describe the distance a foundation extends beyond the width of a wall on each side.  

What is projection?

400

The feature of external walls that keeps interiors cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather.

What is thermal performance?

400

A brick that has been cut in half lengthwise.

What is a closer?

500

The two materials modern engineers use to ensure long-term structural stability.

What are reinforced concrete and steel?

500

The horizontal layer of bricks laid in a wall.  

What is a course?  

500

The shape most commonly used for a pad foundation to evenly distribute loads.  

What is a square?

500

The two common household fixtures that internal walls must be strong enough to support.

What are shelves or cabinets?

500

The practice of stepping brickwork back to prevent uneven settlement.

What is racking back?

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