Don Edwards National Refuge Education Center

This is a connection I always thought was pretty interesting, especially after our lecture on foundations.

Here are some images of low impact precast concrete footings used for the deck and some of the boardwalks at the Don Edwards National Refuge Education Center in Alviso, CA. As the name suggests they are precast footings, designed for minimal excavation and impact. They consist of a cast concrete foot with steel piles driven diagonally into the ground through the concrete unit. The most interesting thing I find about this is that the footings follow the grading of the land and does not seem to require extensive excavation and leveling of land.