Estudo comparativo de fundações superficiais: o caso da ampliação de uma unidade hospitalar em Crateús - Ce

Abstract

This study aimed to compare two shallow foundation solutions used in the expansion of a hospital unit in Crateús: one that had already been implemented on site, and another proposed solution developed during the course of this research. The comparison was based on technical criteria primarily defined by NBR 6122:2022, which guides the design and execution of foundations in Brazil. The first step involved understanding the soil conditions in the area through borehole testing and geotechnical analysis, in order to determine its bearing capacity. Based on this information, the isolated footings were dimensioned in terms of both size and reinforcement quantity, and the settlements expected over the building’s service life were also estimated. With both foundation designs established, several practical and economic aspects were compared, such as the required volume of concrete, the weight of steel reinforcement, the amount of formwork, and the total foundation cost. Although the solution already executed on site was not incorrect, it became clear that the alternative proposed in this study offered better technical performance while also achieving significant cost savings. The total cost of the foundation was approximately 46% lower than the executed solution, without compromising structural safety or efficiency.