Footings and slabs transfer the actions from a building into the ground, so their design begins with the proposed structure and reliable site information. AHD develops footing and slab engineering within an agreed scope for WA and Victorian projects, without assuming a soil class or foundation solution from the project location. The service supports project-specific foundation design across WA, including regional and remote sites, and Victoria, using the available building, site and approval information. The purpose is a considered design basis for the actual structure, not a generic slab selection, construction instruction or a claim that a particular site class applies because of its location.
Classification and ground conditions need evidence
For relevant residential work, the NCC links foundation classification to AS 2870, while the site conditions and applicable design pathway still need confirmation. Fill, slope, moisture-related movement, soft ground or other non-standard conditions can affect the design response. A reference in the NCC to stable sands in parts of Perth is not evidence of conditions at a particular Mandogalup, regional WA or Victorian site. For relevant housing work, the NCC requires foundation site classification in accordance with AS 2870. Its explanatory descriptions include A, S, M, H, E and P classes, while filled sites can range from A to P. These are classification categories, not labels that can be allocated from an address. H, E, P and some M-D conditions require reference beyond the Housing Provisions’ limitations and may need a tailored approach.
Design information is coordinated across the project
The agreed process can include reviewing the brief and architectural information, considering building loads and interfaces, and developing drawings or calculations for the design stage. Drainage, services, excavation set-out and construction information need coordination rather than generic site instructions. Engineering documentation supports the project’s technical pathway but does not itself issue a building permit or promise an approval result. The design stage may need to consider the proposed building loads, architectural information, interfaces with existing work, drainage and services, and the set-out communicated in project documentation. The NCC’s footing-excavation context is one reason drawings and site conditions must align; it should not be read as DIY excavation instructions. In parts of Perth, an NCC note on stable sands is limited and cannot be used as evidence for Mandogalup, regional WA or any other property.
Specialist information remains third-party work
A geotechnical report may inform ground assumptions, and survey information can establish levels, boundaries and existing features. Drafting may also be needed to communicate the agreed design. AHD coordinates these third-party geotechnical, surveying and drafting inputs where relevant; it does not represent those services as in-house capabilities or assume that every project needs each one. Kwinana guidance is an example of separate approval roles: it describes development approval as a planning question and a building permit as an NCC-compliance question. Its signed-drawing guidance for roofed permitted structures is local, not universal. In Victoria, soil testing and a building engineer’s footing design are described by the regulator, but the applicable permit and practitioner pathway still needs site-specific confirmation.
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