In commercial projects, it's common to push the outside columns right up to the site boundary. Why?
Because land is expensive—and every square meter counts.
But this design choice comes with a trade-off.
When a column sits at the edge of a footing, it causes eccentric loading.
That leads to very high bearing pressure under the soil.
And depending on the loading and soil capacity, it can mean huge pad footings.
To solve this issue, structural engineers often use strap footings, which help balance the load and significantly reduce the amount of concrete needed.
You might see this occasionally in residential jobs, but it’s rare.
Most councils have setback rules that prevent it.
Still—have you ever seen a steel column placed off-centre inside a bored pier? That’s a similar workaround, just with a residential twist.
Hope this email was helpful. If you would like to know how to design a strap footing, comment below and I will send you a link of a tutorial video.
Cheers,
Gabe
PS: BengLab's fourth cohort is open. Only 10 spots!
BEng The Brazilian Engineer in Australia
In commercial projects, it's common to push the outside columns right up to the site boundary. Why?
Because land is expensive—and every square meter counts.
But this design choice comes with a trade-off.
When a column sits at the edge of a footing, it causes eccentric loading.
That leads to very high bearing pressure under the soil.
And depending on the loading and soil capacity, it can mean huge pad footings.
To solve this issue, structural engineers often use strap footings, which help balance the load and significantly reduce the amount of concrete needed.
You might see this occasionally in residential jobs, but it’s rare.
Most councils have setback rules that prevent it.
Still—have you ever seen a steel column placed off-centre inside a bored pier?
That’s a similar workaround, just with a residential twist.
Hope this email was helpful. If you would like to know how to design a strap footing, comment below and I will send you a link of a tutorial video.
Cheers,
Gabe
PS: BengLab's fourth cohort is open. Only 10 spots!
www.skool.com/benglab-7692/about
6 months ago | [YT] | 23