Part B - Verifications and approval requirements 
57 
3 Foundation elements 
3.1 Preliminary remarks 
The basic definitions pertaining to the geotechnical systems resulting from the subsoil and the 
foundation elements are derived from DIN EN 1997 (EC 7) and the references contained 
herein. 
The following geotechnical documents are required for submitting an application to the BSH: 
(1) In accordance with the Standard Ground Investigations: 
- Preliminary ground investigation report 
- Main subsoil inspection report 
- Subsoil and foundations survey (development phase) and 
- Subsoil and foundations survey (design phase) 
(2) In accordance with this Standard Design: 
- Geotechnical design report, where necessary, including a supplementary expert opinion 
on cyclic loads (“cyclics”) 
- Geotechnical as-built documentation (geotechnical installation report) and 
- Supplementary geotechnical reports. 
The subsoil and foundations survey (design phase) contains proposals which allow for cyclic 
loads when calculating the foundation elements (“cyclical concept”). The geotechnical design 
report may also incorporate a supplementary expert opinion which includes the results of 
laboratory tests aligned to the specific design in question to investigate the ground properties 
under cycle load application (supplementary expert opinion on the “cyclics”). 
The documents listed in (1) above constitute the basic planning documents. These shall be 
compiled by a geotechnical expert in accordance with the BSH Standard Ground Investiga 
tions. The documents listed in (2) above constitute the geotechnical planning contribution to 
the design of the foundation elements. These shall be developed by a planning expert for 
geotechnics on behalf of the architect. The geotechnical design report shall include the basic 
planning documentation by way of reference to the ground investigation report and the sub 
soil and foundations survey (design phase). 
Table 3-1 illustrates the most important content and the authors responsible for this content, 
as well as the descriptions of the reports in both of the BSH standards quoted above and the 
corresponding reports in the respective normative standards with a view to providing precise 
information for the BSH application procedure.