TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY STUDY OF SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS IN POPULAR HOUSES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF GURUPI-T0: CASE STUDY

Abstract

With the increase in life expectancy and global urbanization, solving local housing crises has become one of the vital challenges, particularly in Brazil, where the construction of affordable housing remains a significant challenge. In this context, model housing projects emerge, with their designs made available for free on online platforms. However, this does not eliminate the need for reevaluation of the project when implemented in a specific location, as each site will have its own soil and environmental conditions, as well as its own regional construction trends. Ultimately, the correct choice of construction methods becomes a determining factor in the final budget of the residence. Thus, this study evaluated the technical and economic feasibility of shallow foundations being implemented in affordable housing on soils in the municipality of Gurupi-TO. The study compared the costs of implementing isolated footing and raft foundations, analyzing them from both technical and economic perspectives, based on data obtained from SPT geotechnical surveys conducted on-site. The analysis of the raft foundation was conducted using the Eberick AltoQi software. The results indicated that the footing foundation is more economical compared to the raft, with the need for reinforcement to prevent punching failure in the raft being decisive in the comparison. On the other hand, the raft, despite its higher cost, performs better in weak soils, justifying the additional investment in some cases. Finally, it is understood that more data is needed to improve the design of the raft foundation, and that the economic success of low-income housing projects may, in part, depend on these good construction practices, starting with the foundation.