Soil-structure interaction in Building Base (Vibration) Isolation

Buildings near roads or railways can be subjected to ground-borne vibration; resulting in unacceptable levels of structure-borne noise and vibration within. Base isolation helps mitigate this by introducing elastomeric bearings or steel springs between the building and its foundation. Although this is established practice; the available design guidance is limited. This course presents some findings from a theoretical study into the effectiveness of base-isolation for a building founded on piles adjacent to an underground railway. It establishes which aspects of the soil-structure interaction between a building and its foundation are significant; and considers some of the practical implications for design.