Climate Change and Foundations of Buildings in Permafrost Regions

Abstract

Integrity of buildings and other structures in permafrost regions depends on thermal state of soil and its temperature. There are two approaches to construction on permafrost - passive and active. According to the first one, structures are designed with preservation of frozen state of soil. According to the second one, structures should accommodate thaw settlement associated with thawing permafrost, or soil beneath structures should be modified prior construction. The first approach is the most widely used because permafrost soils are very often highly thaw-unstable. An analysis showed that proper design, construction, and maintenance of buildings with preservation of permafrost is and will be the main method as long as air temperature supports use of permafrost cooling means. Numerous failures in building construction in permafrost regions are mainly results of mistakes in sites evaluation or construction design, and poor maintenance.