Structural settlement

Imagine you are building a sandcastle at the beach. You start by making a small sand mound and then you add more and more sand to make it taller and taller. But as you add more sand, you notice the sandcastle starts to sink a little bit. This is kind of like what happens when a building is constructed on the ground.

When a building is built, it is placed on the ground and since it is much heavier than a sandcastle, it can cause the ground underneath to compress or settle. This happens because the weight of the building is pushing down on the ground and the ground needs time to adjust to this new weight.

Structural settlement is when a building sinks or settles into the ground more than it was designed to. This can be caused by many things, like the type of soil the building was built on or if the weight of the building changes over time (for example, if a heavy roof is added). When a building settles too much, it can cause damage and even make the building unsafe to occupy.

To prevent structural settlement, builders need to make sure the ground is properly prepared before construction begins. This can involve adding more layers of soil or other materials to help evenly distribute the weight of the building. Builders also need to make sure that the foundation of the building is designed to handle the weight of the building and any future changes that may occur over time.