Recently, owing to a diversification and expansion of the
research program into topical areas involving renewable and other energy
conversion systems, the Building Foundations Research Program has been
merged into the Energy Systems Design Program. In this larger context,
building foundations research falls into the energy conservation component
of more general energy system design and research.
This site is devoted to describing and
promulgating research undertaken at the University of Minnesota pertaining to building
foundations in a broad sense. The research described has been carried out
since 1980, first at the Underground Space Center, then at the
Minnesota Building Research Center and, finally, at the College of
Design.
A corner perspective view of one quadrant of a
frost-protected shallow foundation showing filled experimental temperature contours on the
slab surface; on the exterior stem wall surface (underneath the vertical insulation); and,
on a plane containing the base of the stem wall and the underside of the horizontal wing
insulation.
