Settlement (structural)

Settlement is when a big building or structure slowly sinks into the ground over time.

Imagine you are playing with building blocks and you stack them up really high to make a tall tower. If you keep adding more blocks on top, the bottom blocks will start to feel really heavy and squished because all the weight is pushing down on them. Eventually, those bottom blocks might start to sink a little bit.

The same thing can happen with big buildings or structures. If the ground underneath them is not strong enough to support all the weight, the building can start to sink or settle lower and lower.

Sometimes settlement can happen because of natural causes like earthquakes, landslides, or erosion, but other times it can happen because the building was not built on firm enough ground, or because the soil underneath the building was not prepared properly before construction.

Settlement can cause problems for buildings because it can make doors and windows harder to open and close, create cracks in walls and floors, or cause the whole building to become unstable. So, it's important to make sure the ground is strong enough to support buildings before they are constructed, and to monitor for settlement over time to make sure any potential problems are caught and fixed before they get worse.