Abstract In this paper, the problem of a pile-raft foundation of a high-rise building located in Warsaw in typical soil and water conditions was presented. In order to describe the soil–foundation interaction, regarding load distribution, an analysis was made based on finite element method (FEM) with the use of the hardening soil with small strain soil model (HSS) in the ZSoil and Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis (ARSA) program. The article contains basic information about the pile-raft foundation, description of ground-water conditions together with the estimated parameters for the HSS model of soil applied in ZSoil calculation. It also shows a block diagram, as a kind of algorithm, presenting the proceedings in designing, modelling and numerical analysis between ZSoil and ARSA program. Own load distribution analysis in CPRF elements based on the numerical procedure enables the comparison with the measurements results of the load distribution carried out by Mandolini with associates in 2005.