In engineering, a foundation is the element of a structure which connects it to the ground or more rarely, water, transferring loads from the structure to the ground. Foundations are generally considered either shallow or deep. Foundation engineering is the application of soil mechanics and rock mechanics in the design of foundation elements of structures.
The simplest foundation, a padstone. The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia
PSM V24 D321 A primitive stilt house in Switzerland on wood pilings.
A granary on staddle stones, a type of padstone
Davis House dry-laid stone foundation ruin, Gardiner, NY
Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and joints' that create the form and shape of human-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and calculate the stability, strength, rigidity and earthquake-susceptibility of built structures for buildings and nonbuilding structures. The structural designs are integrated with those of other designers such as architects and building services engineer and often supervise the construction of projects by contractors on site. They can also be involved in the design of machinery, medical equipment, and vehicles where structural integrity affects functioning and safety. See glossary of structural engineering.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris is a historical achievement of structural engineering.
Pont du Gard, France, a Roman era aqueduct circa 19 BC
Galileo Galilei published the book Two New Sciences in which he examined the failure of simple structures.
Isaac Newton published Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which contains his laws of motion.