groundworks
Below-grade construction work
Groundworks is the preliminary work done before main construction begins—excavation, foundation laying, drainage installation.
The term covers everything that happens at or below ground level before a building rises: The groundworks took three months because of the rocky soil.
In British usage especially, groundworks refers to this phase of construction as an industry specialty.
Solid building mixture
- pilingsEmbedded structural columns
- footingSecure ground position
- bedrockSolid stone underground
- substructureSupporting base beneath
underpinning · baseplate · slab · piers · reinforcement · caissons · pad · mat
Act of unearthing
- bulldozerBladed vehicle pushing earth
- craneLifter or wader
- scaffoldingTemporary exterior work platform
- rebarSteel strengthening concrete
site · backhoe · trench · earthmover · grader · loader · surveyor · piling
Arranging for future events
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- logisticsCoordination of complex activities
- schedulingAssigning times to events
surveying · zoning · permitting · budgeting · feasibility · designing · engineering · procurement
concrete
Solid building mixture
substructure · underpinning · baseplate · slab · piers · reinforcement · caissons · pad · mat · raft
excavation
Act of unearthing
- bulldozerBladed vehicle pushing earth
- craneLifter or wader
- scaffoldingTemporary exterior work platform
rebar · site · backhoe · trench · earthmover · grader · loader · surveyor · piling · cement
planning
Arranging for future events
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- logisticsCoordination of complex activities
scheduling · surveying · zoning · permitting · budgeting · feasibility · designing · engineering · procurement · staging
groundworkssuperstructure
Construction above the base
roofing · upper floors · rooftop · penthouse · spire
groundworksfinishing touches
Last refinements before completion
completion · handover · fit-out · snagging · commissioning
- lay the groundworkEstablish necessary preliminaries
- lay groundworkEstablish necessary foundations