Abstract: A common hazard of the building founded on soft soils is the differential settlement after the completion and even tilting and cracking of the structures. This paper presents a case history of soft soil improvements for a residential building project by using vacuum preloading combined with water surcharging. The design, construction, monitoring and evaluation aspects of this method indicate that this method can effectively minimize the common hazards of building foundations on improved thick soft soils. The vacuum preloading combined with water surcharging method has the advantages of meeting design requirements, easy construction, short construction duration, and cost effective.

Key words: Vacuum Preloading Combined with Water Surcharging, Soft Soil Improvements, Foundation Design, Foundation Construction, Monitoring and Testing, Improvement Results